(AFP) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who pleaded not guilty last week in a fraud and bribery scandal, returned to court on Wednesday, with prosecutors warning they were considering new charges against him and alleged co-conspirators.
Adams, 64, is the first sitting mayor of the United States’ largest city to be indicted while in office, and gave a thumbs-up gesture to photographers outside the Manhattan federal court. The former New York Police Department captain is accused of wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign donations and a bribery conspiracy involving Turkish citizens and at least one Turkish official. The illegal gifts Adams allegedly received included business-class international flights, hotel suites, and free high-end restaurant meals.
In exchange, he is accused of using his influence with the city fire department to speed up permits for Turkey’s new high-rise consulate in Manhattan, despite safety concerns. At the hearing on Wednesday, prosecutor Hagan Scotten told Judge Dale Ho that it was “likely” authorities would bring charges against additional defendants and that it was “possible” Adams, too, would face more counts.
Adams’s lawyer Alex Spiro filed a motion to quash one of the five charges and called for a trial to be held before March, so that proceedings could potentially be completed before the first Democratic primary for the next mayoral election. Judge Ho reserved his decision on a possible trial date and set a procedural hearing for October 31.
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