Indictment against Mayor Eric Adams: Lawyers demand dismissal on grounds that there was no bribery scheme

Mayor Eric Adams’ lawyers filed a motion Monday to dismiss at least part of the criminal case against him, accusing the federal government of turning ordinary voter services into a nonexistent bribery scheme by relying on a single, biased witness “with the axe.” “I have to grind.” and illegally leaked to the press.

The motion to dismiss says the indictment violates recent U.S. Supreme Court precedents protecting public officials from prosecutorial overreach and comes after “years of searching for something, anything, to bring a federal indictment against the New York mayor.” “To support Eric Adams.”

Adams pleaded not guilty Friday. He was indicted and indicted on five counts for engaging in a campaign scheme that involved accepting illegal donations and luxury trips in return for favors for people linked to the Turkish government.

Historical Fees

He is the first sitting mayor in New York City’s modern history to be criminally charged. He has vowed to stay in office and said in a service on Sunday that he would continue to “rule.”

One of the alleged favors was successfully getting the FDNY to green light the opening of the Turkish consulate building in Manhattan, even though it would have failed a security inspection in time for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The allegation, the motion says, is “extraordinarily vague” and the case “does not constitute a federal crime at all.”

“The indictment does not allege that Mayor Adams consented to any official action at the time he received a grant,” the motion states. “Rather, it is merely alleged that during his term as Brooklyn Borough President – not as mayor or even as mayor-elect – he generally agreed to assist in the ‘operation’ or ‘regulation’ of a Turkish consulate building in Manhattan, where he has none.” “Whatever, in exchange for travel benefits (e.g. upgrades to free business class seats and a car ride to a restaurant).”

The criminalization of what Adams did, the motion says, “includes a wide range of normal and entirely lawful actions that many city officials would perform for the consulate of a major foreign nation, such as arranging meetings with regulatory authorities or providing advice on how to deal with city bureaucracy and connecting diplomatic staff with lawyers who specialize in regulatory matters or building code disputes.”

Accusations in motion

The 21-page motion says the contours of the alleged ax the witness is forced to grind would be revealed later.

The filing cites a three-month-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the scope of a federal anti-bribery law by holding that it was not illegal for a local official to accept compensation for acts already committed. In that case, an Indiana mayor was convicted of receiving $13,000 from a trucking company that had recently won contracts totaling more than $1 million for new garbage trucks. The court overturned the conviction.

Adams’ case is scheduled to be heard in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Alex Spiro of Manhattan, one of the lawyers who signed the motion, said at a news conference Monday that the legal team is initially seeking to dismiss the bribery allegations and will soon address the other charges.

“Tipping is not a federal crime. Favoring politicians is not a federal crime,” Spiro said.

He accused the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District, which is prosecuting Adams, of engaging in unethical and illegal conduct for nearly a year by violating grand jury secrecy rules and leaking details to the press. This office did not return an email seeking comment.

Shortly before Spiro’s news conference at his Manhattan law firm, Adams held one in Queens in which he discussed urgent repairs to a key aqueduct that could change the taste of New York’s water.

When asked about law enforcement, Adams said he would continue to do the mayor’s job – and show Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove him from office, that he is succeeding.

“The goal is to continue to show that we continue to move in the right direction, and we are,” Adams said, citing a longtime mantra of his that he has even embroidered on baseball caps: “You have heard , as I have said over and over again: ‘Stay focused, no distractions and no stress’, that’s what you all hear in your sleep.”

As reporters bombarded him, Adams turned to an aide: “Could I have some of the water?”