Feds say they uncovered ‘additional criminal conduct’ by NYC Mayor Eric Adams in historic federal case
Federal prosecutors said they have uncovered “additional criminal conduct” by Eric Adams and his associates in their historic bribery and corruption case against the mayor.
The shocking new claims — made with no further explanation — came in a filing late Monday in which Manhattan federal prosecutors said their “ongoing investigation” has led them to more alleged crimes on top of the indictment they filed against Adams in September.
“Although the Indictment and discovery provide Adams with more than sufficient information as to his alleged co-conspirators and aiders and abettors, law enforcement has continued to identify additional individuals involved in Adams’s conduct, and to uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams,” the feds wrote.
The multi-count indictment filed in the Southern District of New York accuses Adams of accepting free or heavily discounted travel from Turkish officials in exchange for political favors.
Adams has denied all wrongdoing and is set to stand trial in April.
The filing was the latest in the contentious back-and-forth between the SDNY and Adams’ defense team — with both sides accusing each other of using the courts to fight the case in public.
Last month, Adams’ celebrity attorney, Alex Spiro, claimed the feds didn’t have the goods to bring an expanded indictment, despite prosecutors saying days after the charges were unveiled that they were “moving quickly” to bring more.
Spiro also pressed the judge to force the feds to cough up more details about how the plan to prosecute Adams — asking for the early disclosure of trial exhibits and details on alleged crimes that weren’t included in the indictment.
Prosecutors argued in the filing Monday that they have given the mayor’s defense team more than enough to build their case through “extensive and organized discovery” and prior court filings.
“Indeed, Adams’s express proclamations about the simplicity of the case, and his detailed factual briefing with respect to the bribery allegations, demonstrate that he fully understands the charges he is facing, which is why he described the Government has having ‘shown their cards,’” the feds wrote.
Adams’ requests, including a list of every person that the feds believe conspired with him “would prejudice the ongoing investigation” and could lead to potential witness tampering, prosecutors argued.
The mayor dismissed the feds’ claims that investigators have uncovered additional crimes on his part when asked about the filing Tuesday.
“You know even Ray Charles can see what’s going on,” he said before flatly denying doing anything wrong.
Spiro slammed the latest filing as “amateur hour.”
“They are just looking for a headline instead of doing the right thing,” he said about the feds. “I assume we are at the point where New Yorkers are not falling for it.”