Mayor Eric Adams accused the feds of illegally leaking secret grand jury information to the media and called on the Manhattan judge overseeing his criminal case to intervene in a new motion filed early Tuesday.
Hizzoner’s legal team demanded a court hearing to probe supposed leaks they claim came from federal agents and prosecutors involved in the bombshell indictment against the first-term Big Apple leader.
“For nearly a year, the government has leaked grand jury material and other sensitive information to the media to aggrandize itself, further its investigation, and unfairly prejudice the defendant, Mayor Eric Adams,” the attorneys wrote in the newly filed motion.
A grand jury handed up a five-count indictment against Adams last week, accusing the 64-year-old pol of accepting bribes in exchange for favors, raking in illegal straw donations and defrauding the city out of $10 million in public campaign funds.
Adams’ legal team argued in Tuesday’s motion that federal authorities have whispered developments tied to the investigation to news outlets over the last year in an attempt to muddy up their client.
The defense pointed to a series of articles on the probe published by the New York Times between last November and last week as evidence that the feds were allegedly providing information to news outlets in violation of the law.
The Times stories cited unnamed sources and Adams’ legal team claims the information reported by the newspaper could have only come from federal authorities.
“The prejudice from these leaks has been severe,” Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro and company wrote. “A cascade of critical articles based on one-sided, misleading leaks by the government has eroded public support for the Mayor long before he was ever charged with a crime and able to defend himself in court.”
As the investigation raged on, Adams’ lawyers stated they wrote to the government in June and August to request an internal probe into the leaks, but were ignored.
| Year | Destination | Benefits | Value | Disclosed? |
| 2016 | India (via Turkey) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round-trip flight from New York to India | $12,000 | No |
| 2017 | France, Turkey, and China | Free business class tickets for three on round trip from New York to France, Turkey, and China; heavily discounted stay in Bentley Suite of St. Regis Istanbul | $41,000+ | No |
| 2017 | China (via Turkey) | Free business class tickets for two on round trip from New York to China | $16,000+ | No |
| 2018 | Hungary (via Turkey) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round trip from New York to Hungary | $12,000+ | No |
| 2019 | Turkey | Free upgrade to business class for one on flight from New York to Turkey; free stay at Cosmopolitan Suite of St. Regis Istanbul; free meals, transportation, and entertainment in Istanbul | $9,000+ | No |
| 2021 | Turkey (solicited and accepted but then canceled) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round trip from New York to Turkey; free or steeply discounted luxury hotel and resort stays, transportation, entertainment, and meals | $21,000+ | No |
| 2021 | Ghana (via Turkey) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round trip from New York to Ghana; free meal and transportation during Istanbul layover | $12,000+ | No |
When the defense raised the issue in a late August phone call, prosecutors again dismissed concerns, according to the court docs.
Adams’ legal camp wants District Judge Dale Ho to schedule an evidentiary hearing to “investigate the leaks in this case and impose meaningful consequences.”
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If it’s determined that federal officials spilled confidential information, the possible ramifications should include the judge dismissing the case, tossing evidence or forcing agents as well as prosecutors to step aside and not be involved in the case, his lawyers argued.
“The remedies imposed after an evidentiary hearing should be commensurate with the severity of the leaks, up to and including dismissal where prejudice is established,” Adams’ legal team wrote.
Michael Bachner, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor in the same office currently handling the Adams probe, told The Post it’s Spiro’s prerogative and duty to raise the issue if he believes, “the indictment was improperly leaked to the public in order to prejudice the case against his client.”
“It’s certainly improper at best to leak what’s going on in a grand jury,” said Bachner — a practicing trial lawyer. “[And] it’s potentially criminal.”
Still, Bachner said the information could have come from one of many possible sources, including from inside the mayor’s office, law enforcement, an FBI agent or someone in the US Attorney’s office.
The latest argument comes as part of a legal offensive Adams’ lawyers have launched this week against the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office as their client fights for his political life.
Spiro argued Monday that the bribery charge against Adams should be tossed, claiming the gifts Turkish bigwigs showered on Hizzoner were not bribes but typical perks for politicians.
He also called the entire case “meritless.”
Bachner remarked on how quickly Spiro filed motions — just days after the indictment was unsealed — “which obviously means that he had a very good sense that the indictment was coming because you’re attacking it on its merits.”
“I don’t know what the need was to do it so fast other than maybe for public relations because the mayor’s been saying he’s not stepping down and maybe he wants to show he’s aggressively fighting the case.”
Adams, an ex-NYPD cop, has denied the charges against him and has made clear he has no plan to step down from office despite growing calls for his resignation.
