In September of 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged with counts of bribery, illegal wire transfers, and garnering illegal campaign money. Much of which came from Turkish businessmen, hoping to have some representation in the U.S. government. You gotta pay your taxes first, bud.
A recent indictment alleges that Adams had taken up to $100,000 in luxury benefits, such as private flights and gifts from Turkish officials who were seeking some influence. When asked to elaborate on the matter in a public conference, he asserted that, “I follow campaign rules, and follow the law. That is how I live my life.” In the early stages of Adam’s indictment, or rather, the fallout period, he ignored the dozens of calls about his resignation and denied any wrongdoing. Many pressed him to resign, possibly to avoid the daunting sight of the 57-page indictment against Mr. Adams. Nevertheless, he has not pleaded guilty, and trial has commenced.
While he may have pleaded not guilty, growing evidence suggests otherwise. When asked by his airline manager to book his room at the Four Seasons hotel for his stay (in Turkey, nonetheless), concerns of the price were immediately shut down by the manager. “Why does he care? He is not going to pay,” he had said. Not to mention the Turkish Cultural Center Adams had built, with many pondering as to what motivated him. On top of that, he asked the inspector to make sure that the building was ready for the Turkish president to see, saying to look over inspections if necessary, despite the official’s warning that he might lose his job if he does so. Those who have worked with him have claimed that he boasts about deleting text messages in order to hide evidence.
All in all, his charges could land him up to 45 years in prison. Or worse, it could interfere with his reelection plan for 2025. Adams himself has asked for an expedited trial, claiming that he will not let this interfere with his job as mayor, despite many law officials asking for him to step down. Guess he just can’t take a hint.
His case has been moving along, with him officially pleading not guilty to bribery, illegal foreign wire transfers, and illegal allocation of campaign funds in court. On November 20, 2024, Eric Adams appointed Jessica Tisch as the next NYPD commissioner, making her the second female NYPD police commissioner in history. Previously working on the sanitation issue in NYC, Adams assured the public that Tisch would be a great fit for the position of commissioner.
We will wait to see how his trial goes and what the verdict may be. For now, maybe his PR team should advise him to switch from Turkish coffee to decaf.
