New York mayor Eric Adams indicted over Turkish bribery accusations

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges, mainly related to accusations of taking bribes and soliciting illegal campaign contributions in connection with Turkish officials.

The indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday, accuses the mayor of around a decade of receiving political donations from Turkish citizens in contrary to US law that forbids political contributions by foreign nationals; unusually cheap flight upgrades on Turkish Airlines totalling more than $100,000—with one instance he reportedly asked about flying through Istanbul for a holiday to Chile; and he is also accused of having the New York Fire Department approve a Turkish consulate despite safety concerns.

"As alleged, Mayor Adams abused his position as this City’s highest elected official, and before that as Brooklyn Borough President, to take bribes and solicit illegal campaign contributions," reads a statement issued by the Justice Department issued on Thursday. 

"By allegedly taking improper and illegal benefits from foreign nationals—including to allow a Manhattan skyscraper to open without a fire inspection—Adams put the interests of his benefactors, including a foreign official, above those of his constituents," the statement continues.

Importantly, some of these alleged illicit donations from Turkish officials, according to the indictment, were being made during Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign.

After he was sworn into office, according to the indictment, Adams was repeatedly contacted a Turkish official demanding that he not recognise the Armenian Genocide for Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in 2022.

According to the indictment, an Adams staffer confirmed that he would not make a statement about the Armenian Genocide, and the mayor did not mention it.

The Armenian Genocide occurred in eastern Anatolia and surrounding areas, what is now mainly Turkey, starting in 1915, around the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in death marches, massacres and starvation.

The US is home to one of the largest Armenian diaspora populations, estimated at around 1.5 million. In 2019, the US Congress recognised the Armenian Genocide, and in 2021, Joe Biden became the first US president to do so.

When responding to reports of the indictment, Adams denied the accusations, suggesting he was being targeted by the Biden administration for his criticism of what is often referred to as the migrant crisis on the US southern border.