Multiple out lawmakers in the City Council and State Legislature called on Mayor Eric Adams to resign after he was hit with a five-count federal indictment on charges of bribery, fraud, and seeking foreign campaign donations dating back to his tenure as Brooklyn borough president and continuing through his time as mayor.
Federal prosecutors at the Office of US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams are accusing the mayor of soliciting and receiving illegal foreign donations as well as other benefits from wealthy foreign donors and a Turkish government official stretching back to 2014, including free and discounted Turkish Airlines flights, hotel rooms, meals, and more. In exchange, prosecutors say Adams pushed the FDNY to fast-track the approval of a Turkish consular building in Manhattan despite concerns about fire safety.
