Mayor Eric Adams defrauded taxpayers out of $10 million as his 2021 mayoral campaign raked in public matching funds by lying about illegal contributions at least in part traced back to Turkey, prosecutors alleged in a historic indictment Thursday.
As Adams sought to become mayor of the nation’s largest city, he directed campaign staff to pursue and accept illegal donations from wealthy Turkish businessmen, said US Attorney Damian Williams during a stunning news conference.
The illegal foreign cash was hidden by “straw donors” who concealed the money’s shady sources, Williams said.
Adams speaks during his press conference following his indictment. REUTERS
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Adams then applied for a public matching program for straw donations, getting “as much as $2,000 in public funds for each illegal contribution” by falsely certifing those contributions as kosher, the court papers state.
“All told, the 2021 Campaign reaped over $10 million in Matching Funds based on the false certifications that the campaign complied with the law, when in fact Eric Adams, the defendant, knowingly and repeatedly relied on illegal contributions,” the indictment states.
The 57-page indictment alleges Adams saw raising cash as key to winning his mayoral run, in which he faced tight competition during the Democratic primary.
“You win the race by raising money,” he texted one supporter, according to the indictment.
“Everything else is fluff.”
Much of Adams’ desired cash flowed in from contacts he met during ritzy free trips to Turkey, including an unnamed senior Turkish diplomat and wealthy businessmen, the indictment contends.
Adams knew full well that he couldn’t legally accept donations from the Turkish nationals, but he told a campaign staffer to pursue them anyway, the court papers state.
One Turkish “promoter” offered a maximum $100,000 contribution that could be routed through an American citizen — a textbook straw donation, the indictment details.
“Fund Raising in Turkey is not legal, but I think I can raise money for your campaign off the record,” the promoter texted the staff, according to the indictment.
The litany of straw donations detailed in the indictment added up to real costs to the city and public beyond the $10 million allegedly taken from taxpayers, said Jocelyn Strauber, commissioner for the city’s Department of Investigation.
“The mayor’s alleged acceptance and concealment of illegal contributions and personal benefits gave overseas benefactors, wealthy individuals and businesses undue influence over the mayor,” she said.
