New York City mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty on charges related to his alleged acceptance of bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.
Adams, the first New York City mayor to face criminal charges, entered his plea during an arraignment at a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan on Friday, where he had surrendered to authorities earlier in the day.
A 57-page indictment accuses Adams of accepting “improper valuable benefits,” including free airline flights and luxurious hotel stays from Turkish business and government officials who sought to influence him. Some of the foreign funds Adams received benefited his 2021 mayoral campaign, but some of the alleged bribery dates back to 2015 when he was the Brooklyn borough president.
He faces five counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals; wire fraud; solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national in two instances; and bribery.
Adams has repeatedly insisted on his innocence since news of the indictment broke Wednesday night.
"We are not surprised. We expected this," he said during a news conference outside his residence on Thursday. "The actions that have unfolded over the last ten months — the leaks, the commentary, the demonizing. This did not surprise us that we reached this day, and I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments."
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