NEW YORK — New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams appeared in court on Friday morning for his arraignment on federal bribery charges.
During the proceedings, the mayor and former police officer pleaded not guilty, telling the judge simply, “I am not guilty your honor,” The New York Times reported.
The judge also asked Adams if he understood his rights, to which he responded “Yes I do, your honor.”
Adams is the first sitting mayor of New York City to be indicted and he is being represented by Alex Spiro.
Adams is facing foreign bribery and corruption charges.
According to the Times, Adams faces:
- 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, solicit foreign contributions and accept bribes
- 1 count of wire fraud
- 2 counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national
- 1 count of bribery
Prosecutors allege that Adams accepted luxury overseas travel and illegal campaign donations from people connected with the Turkish government, The Associated Press reported.
It is illegal for a political candidate in the U.S. to receive campaign donations from foreign citizens. Some of the donations he allegedly accepted allowed Adams to receive $10 million in public campaign funds, the AP reported.
Adams was released on his own recognizance, the Times reported.
He will be in court again next week where prosecutors may be asked to summarize the discovery in the case and estimate how long a potential trial could last. Sprio is expected to ask the court at that time to have the charges against the mayor dismissed.
Adams vowed to stay in office despite calls for him to resign, the AP reported.
He was elected to the mayor’s office in 2021 and is seeking reelection next year, CNN reported.
Read the indictment below:
Check back for more on this developing story.
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