Federal prosecutors oppose Mayor Adams’ motion to dismiss bribery count

Mayor Adams mightiness deliberation it’s “common” to judge tens of thousands of dollars successful benefits successful speech for pressuring a metropolis agency, but it is “nonetheless illegal,” national prosecutors argued Friday successful opposing the mayor’s question to flip a bribery number successful his sweeping corruption case.

On the heels of his indictment, Adams past period asked the justice overseeing his lawsuit to disregard the bribery complaint against him, describing the underlying allegations helium illegally did behind-the-scenes bidding for Turkish officials arsenic “extraordinarily vague” and tantamount to “normal and perfectly lawful acts that galore metropolis officials would undertake for the consulate of an important overseas nation.”

“Count Five describes a quid pro quo successful which Adams sought and took luxury question from a overseas authoritative successful speech for influencing New York City’s regularisation of a Manhattan skyscraper — including by pressuring the FDNY to let the [Turkish consulate] to unfastened without an inspection,” the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s bureau wrote Friday.

“Adams claims that accepting tens of 1000 of dollars’ worthy of benefits successful speech for pressuring a City bureau is ‘routine’ and ‘common,’” authoritative Celia Cohen wrote. “But nevertheless regular that whitethorn person been for Adams, the instrumentality permits a assemblage to reason that it was nevertheless illegal.”

The embattled politician has pleaded not blameworthy to bribery, ligament fraud, and secretly soliciting run contributions from overseas donors successful the lawsuit that alleges helium enactment a terms connected his governmental power dating backmost to his days arsenic Brooklyn borough president. 

He’s accused of raking successful implicit $100,000 worthy of lavish trips astir the world, cruises, and edifice stays paid for by a Turkish authorities authoritative and affluent Turkish businessmen who believed the erstwhile NYPD bull would 1 time marque it to the White House.

The archetypal New York City politician successful the modern epoch to look transgression charges, Adams has refused calls to measurement down. The feds person not ruled retired bringing much charges successful a bid of ongoing investigations that person ensnared him and respective of his apical aides and advisers.  

Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.

This communicative volition beryllium updated.

Originally Published: October 18, 2024 astatine 4:17 p.m.