Mayor Eric Adams' lawyer asks court to dismiss bribery charge
NEW YORK -- Indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams' attorney is asking a judge to dismiss one of the five federal corruption charges against him.
Adams was charged last week with bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations in a 57-page indictment, including:
- Count 1: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery and to receive campaign contribution by foreign national
- Count 2: Wire fraud
- Count 3: Solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national
- Count 4: Solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national
- Count 5: Bribery
Read the full indictment here.
Motion to dismiss federal bribery charge
On Monday, attorney Alex Spiro filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the bribery charge.
"The indictment in this case alleges a 'bribery' scheme that does not meet the definition of bribery and indeed does not amount to a federal crime at all," the motion's preliminary statement says.
Adams is accused of accepting travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals in exchange for political favors.
"In the events in question, Mayor Adams was the Brooklyn borough president. He was not the mayor, he wasn't even the mayor-elect, and the position of Brooklyn borough president does not have vast powers. It has, frankly, very little. To believe these prosecutors, you'd have to believe that the gentleman of the airlines, 10 years ago, he was the one who predicted that Eric Adams ... would one day be mayor," Spiro said at a press conference Monday.
Over the weekend, the mayor responded to calls for him to step down with, "When people say, 'You need to resign,' I say, 'I need to reign.'"
Adams pleaded not guilty to all of the charges at his arraignment in Lower Manhattan on Friday.
