Mayor Eric Adams expressed interest in raising campaign donations from Turkish businessmen during a 2022 dinner, newly unsealed court documents in his dismissed corruption case have revealed.
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According to filings cited by the New York Post, Adams “welcomed the offer of foreign contributions” and directed a promoter to coordinate with one of his staffers to secure the funds for his 2025 re-election bid.
The revelations are part of a trove of 1,785 pages of court documents made public after a legal push by multiple media outlets. The documents detail the FBI’s wide-ranging investigation into Adams and offer insight into the evidence federal prosecutors were gathering before the case was abruptly dismissed in April.
As per New York Post, the newly unsealed records show Adams attended the January 2022 dinner with two staffers, where the idea of a visit to Turkey to meet potential donors was discussed. The filing notes Adams encouraged further coordination to arrange the contributions, though the documents do not confirm whether the trip ever took place or any donations were received.
The same set of filings also contains allegations that Adams misled federal investigators about the location of his personal cellphone, which was seized during a raid on Gracie Mansion in September 2024.
The FBI recovered multiple devices from his residence, including two iPads, a second iPhone, and an Iridium satellite phone on his nightstand.
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In a sworn affidavit, an FBI agent accused the mayor of “evidence of consciousness of guilt,” alleging he intentionally hid his phone and made false statements because he feared the device could reveal evidence of other crimes. Adams reportedly told his lawyer he had forgotten the phone’s passcode and provided an incorrect one.
The original five-count indictment against Adams, unsealed last September, accused him of accepting over $100,000 in undisclosed gifts and luxury travel in exchange for political favours. Prosecutors also alleged he pressured the FDNY to approve permits for the Turkish consulate building in Manhattan despite safety concerns.
Adams was accused of using straw donor schemes to tap into millions in matching campaign funds, reported CBS News.
Though Adams has denied all wrongdoing, the case led to significant fallout. Four deputy mayors and several federal prosecutors resigned following the controversial dismissal request, which Judge Dale Ho criticised as a political bargain, citing alleged concessions over immigration policy.
Ho ultimately ruled the case would not return to court, describing the DOJ’s motion to dismiss as “smacking of a bargain” and saying it wasn’t fair to let the matter hang over the mayor during an election year.
Despite the scandal, Adams met with US President Trump at the White House Friday to discuss what he called “key priorities” for New York City, even as questions around his conduct continue to linger.