(New York) The federal corruption trial of New York Mayor Eric Adams will begin next April, a judge ruled Friday, in the heart of his promised re-election campaign.
Published yesterday at 8:36 p.m.
Jake Offenhartz and Michael R. Sisak
Associated Press
U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho set the trial date as Mr. Adams returned to Manhattan federal court for a hearing on his bid to eliminate a key charge in the indictment that threatens his political future .
Mr Ho said he was confident the April 21, 2025 date would be met, “assuming nothing unexpected happens”.
Prosecutors, for their part, said they had still not succeeded in deciphering a potentially crucial piece of evidence: Mayor Adams’ personal cell phone. According to his indictment, Mr. Adams changed his password just before giving the phone to authorities, then claimed to have forgotten it. Mr. Adams’s lawyers are fighting to dismiss a corruption charge, one of five charges brought against the Democrat at the start of his term.
They argued that the charge did not meet the threshold recently reduced by the United States Supreme Court for this crime and should not apply to Mr. Adams because it involves allegations dating back to a period before his accession to the post of mayor.
“The United States Attorney has had difficulty defining what the ‘quo’ is here,” argued Mr. Adams’ lawyer, John Bash, referring to a “quid pro quo,” an expression Latin meaning “something for something else”.
Prosecutors argued that Mr. Adams took bribes and exercised influence while he held previous elected office and planned to become mayor. Justice Ho said he would take the arguments “under advisement and attempt to rule shortly”.
The indictment, which also includes wire fraud and conspiracy charges, accuses Mr. Adams of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel benefits worth US$100,000 as well as illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals seeking to buy his influence.
In exchange, prosecutors say, Mr. Adams performed services to benefit the Turkish government, including pressuring firefighters in 2021 to approve the opening of a consulate they deemed unsafe.
Mr. Adams held another elected office at the time, that of Brooklyn borough president, but by then it was clear that he would become mayor. Mr. Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has vowed to remain in office while he prepares his legal defense.
Mr. Bash argued that the alleged benefits do not meet the legal definition of corruption because they predate his tenure as mayor and have “nothing to do with his government position.”
Mr. Adams’s lawyers argue that prosecutors are seeking to criminalize the “normal and perfectly legal acts” that Mr. Adams committed as Brooklyn borough president before being elected mayor. Under the law, prosecutors must prove that Mr. Adams took bribes in exchange for using his official position to exert influence.
Several of Mr. Adams’s closest aides — including his police commissioner, schools chancellor and several deputy mayors — resigned in recent months after federal investigators conducted coordinated searches of their homes in early September.
Mr. Adams maintained that he could continue to effectively lead the city while fighting the charges.
However, his political future remains uncertain and several opponents have announced their intention to challenge him in next year’s municipal primaries.
Earlier this week, Mr Adams raised eyebrows after he repeatedly refused to criticize former President Donald Trump, refusing to say when he last spoke with the Republican nominee or whether he was seeking a pardon if Mr. Trump were re-elected.
