New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ troubles regarding alleged corruption just got deeper.
In September, federal prosecutors charged Adams with conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery over events that dated back years; he was accused of permitting Turkish officials and businesspeople to buy his influence, and of receiving campaign contributions from straw donors.
On Monday, real estate construction firm owner Erden Arkan, who was named in the September indictment, pled guilty to a conspiracy charge. He allegedly committed wire fraud by using straw donors.
The September indictment noted that Adams became Brooklyn Borough President in 2014. “Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign business people and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”
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“By 2018, Adams – who had by then made known his plans to run for Mayor of New York City – not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals,” the September indictment declared. “As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received. … Eric Adams, the defendant, sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ‘nominee’ or ‘straw’ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money.”
“On May 7, 2021, Businessman-5 held a fundraiser for the 2021 Campaign at his construction company’s offices,” the indictment continued. “Adams, Businessman-5, the Adams Fundraiser and the Adams Staffer attended. The Turkish official did not attend but sent his driver to deliver several additional contribution checks. Prior to the fundraiser, Businessman-5’s construction company, at the direction of Businessman-5, had provided $1,250 per employee to ten of its employees. Each of those employees then contributed that amount to the 2021 campaign, with the exception of one employee who donated in his wife’s name, and another who donated $1,200 of the funds.”
“Adams then used those funds to fraudulently obtain public funding under the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors allege,” AP reported.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer representing Adams, stated, “We know from the government’s own interviews that Mr. Arkan repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions.”
