Mayor Adams’ Attorney Dismisses Federal Indictment as Baseless
Mayor Eric Adams and his attorney, Alex Spiro, faced reporters on Thursday, September 26, 2024, to address the multi-count federal indictment against Adams. Spiro, a well-known celebrity attorney, wasted no time in seeking to discredit the charges against the mayor, labeling them as frivolous and flimsy. The accusations included conspiracy, bribery, soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations, and wire fraud. The attorney, who also represents Adams in a separate civil sexual misconduct suit, claimed that the charges were an attempt to tarnish the mayor’s reputation without substantial evidence to back them up.
Spiro Challenges Allegations of Corruption
Spiro’s defense of Mayor Adams focused on challenging the allegations of corruption outlined in the indictment. The 57-page document accused Adams of engaging in a scheme for nearly a decade, accepting illegal campaign donations and unreported gifts from Turkish nationals in exchange for expediting a fire inspection of a Manhattan Turkish consulate tower in 2021. Additionally, Adams was accused of concealing the illegal foreign contributions through straw donations and using the funds to secure $10,000,000 in public matching funds for his 2021 mayoral campaign. However, Spiro argued that the investigators had misconstrued the flight upgrades received by Adams, claiming that they were standard perks offered to VIPs and cost the airlines nothing.
Disputing the Amount of Illegal Foreign Donations
The attorney also sought to downplay the significance of the alleged illegal foreign donations to Mayor Adams’ campaign. While the indictment cited a total of $10,000,000 raised by the campaign overall, Spiro pointed out that only $26,000 of that sum came from Turkish donors. He emphasized that the small amount from Turkish contributors did not constitute fraud on the scale suggested by the prosecution. Spiro highlighted the discrepancy between the $10,000,000 figure and the actual amount donated by individuals from Turkey, arguing that the indictment aimed to mislead the public about the extent of the alleged wrongdoing.
In addition to disputing the financial aspects of the case, Spiro claimed to possess emails from Mayor Adams instructing campaign staff not to accept foreign donations. According to Spiro, these emails demonstrate Adams’ clear directive to refrain from engaging in any activities that could be construed as accepting illegal contributions. The attorney promised to present this evidence to support the mayor’s innocence in the face of the federal indictment.
As the legal battle between Mayor Eric Adams and federal prosecutors unfolds, the public awaits further developments in this high-profile case. With both sides vehemently defending their positions, the truth behind the allegations of corruption and bribery will eventually come to light. Stay tuned for updates on this unfolding legal drama as Mayor Adams and his attorney, Alex Spiro, continue to fight against the charges brought against them.
