NYC Mayor Files Motion to Federal Court

 

Attorneys for New York City Mayor Eric Adams have urged a federal court to dismiss one of the five criminal charges brought against him last week.

In a motion filed on Sept. 30, Adams’s legal team argued for the dismissal of a bribery charge, claiming that the mayor did not take bribes from the Turkish government while allegedly pressuring the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to fast-track the opening of a 36-story Turkish Consulate in Manhattan.

“Despite the fact that the indictment reproduces quotes from messages, emails, and conversations for numerous other points, it does not allege any specific exchanges or conversations in which Adams and the Turkish official entered into this purported quid pro quo agreement,” his legal team wrote.

They further argued that at the time of the alleged incident, Adams was only the Brooklyn borough president and lacked the power to compel the FDNY to take action concerning the consular building.

Adams’s attorneys also pointed to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that raised the bar for federal prosecutors to pursue corruption cases. That 6–3 ruling held that a federal law prohibiting government officials from “corruptly” accepting “anything of value of any person” in exchange for an official act does not extend to “gratuities,” or gifts—such as luxury trips—that are given for past actions.

“Even the three dissenting Justices agreed that the statute requires an official act,” they wrote.