Foreign Bribes, Cheap Flights: What Is Eric Adams Accused Of?

US prosecutors have charged New York City Mayor Eric Adams with bribery and fraud charges as part of a “long-running” scheme that has upended politics in America’s largest city.

As part of what officials have described as an “abuse of power”, Adams is alleged to have accepted illegal gifts worth over $100,000 from Turkish citizens and at least one government official.

In exchange, Turkish officials are believed to have sought favours from the mayor, including help skirting safety regulations to open a consulate in New York, according to prosecutors.

Adams, a former police captain, has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the allegations in court.

Here’s what we know.

Eric Adams is facing five separate criminal counts, including “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals”, wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery”.

According to the 57-page indictment, Adams allegedly accepted more than $100,000 in luxury travel – including hotel stays, lavish meals and airline upgrades – from Turkish nationals beginning in 2016, when he still served as president of the New York borough of Brooklyn.

In one instance, for example, Adams is alleged to have received a “heavily discounted” stay at the “Bentley Room” of Istanbul’s St Regis hotel, paying $600 for a two-day visit that was valued at approximately $7,000.

“This was a multi-year scheme to buy favour with a single New York City politician on the rise,” US Attorney Damian Williams said at a news conference.

Additionally, Adams is alleged to have sought out campaign contributions from Turkish sources for his 2021 mayoral election campaign.

None of this was publicly declared, and prosecutors claim Adams used “straw donors” to hide the sources of the money, and at times created “fake paper trails” that suggested he paid, or intended to pay, for the gifts.

One of the charges in the indictment, wire fraud, stems from allegations that Adams devised a scheme to obtain money “by making false and fraudulent pretences” in his dealings.

Specifically, prosecutors claim that the money Adams obtained from Turkey allowed him to qualify for a public financing programme that provides eligible political candidates with funds to match donations from New York City residents.

As part of the initiative, known as the Matching Funds Program, candidates are prohibited from accepting contributions from people who are not US citizens or lawful residents, as well as corporations and foreign entities and organisations.

According to the justice department, Adams fraudulently obtained as much as $2,000 in public funds for each illegal contribution.

Adams is alleged to have paid $600 for a $7,000 stay in the Bentley Suite of Istanbul’s St Regis