*UPDATE* NYC Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to the five federal charges he faces after a lengthy corruption investigation.
“I am not guilty, your honor,” Adams told Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.
More:
Prosecutors are asking that Adams not be allowed to have contact with witnesses or individuals named in the indictment. They said they were willing to confer with Adams’s lawyers to negotiate how he can communicate with “persons in the mayor’s family or members of the mayor’s staff,” who may know facts of the case.Judge Parker has ruled that Adams is to have no contact with any individual witness or others on a list to be provided by prosecutors concerning the “facts and circumstances” in the indictment. He will not be limited from communicating with them about “business or private family matters,” she said.Prosecutors did not ask Adams to surrender his passport.
Judge Parker “released Adams “on his own recognizance” with a “warning that he had to return to court when required or he could face consequences, including jail time.”
Adams will have a hearing next week. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, will ask the court to dismiss the charges.
District Judge Dale E. Ho will preside over the hearing.
***Previous reporting….
Embattled NYC Mayor Eric Adams arrived at the Manhattan federal courthouse this morning to face his arraignment, which will happen at noon ET.
A federal grand jury indicted Adams on Wednesday.
The judge unsealed the indictment on Thursday, revealing five federal charges concerning an investigation into corruption in his mayoral campaign.
The charges:
It’s all tied to the Turkish consulate building in Manhattan. Despite its low standards, Adams is accused of bribing people to approve the building.
Adams allegedly did this if the Turkish groups donated to his mayoral campaign.
The fire official in charge claimed he “was told that he would lose his job if he failed to acquiesce, and, after Adams intervened, the skyscraper opened as requested by the Turkish Official.”
The government also accused Adams of continuing his corruption after his inauguration: “Adams soon began preparing for his next election, including by planning to solicit more illegal contributions and granting requests from those who supported his 2021 mayoral campaign.”
I will update this post throughout the day.
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