QUEENS (WABC) — A day after pleading not guilty to federal charges, New York City Mayor Eric Adams spent part of Saturday visiting a church in Queens.
The mayor gave remarks during the installation of a new pastor at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in New York.
“Right now, we’re at a critical moment, with a new strong player taking the court in our spiritual journey,” Adams said. “We are grateful for the blessings and successes of his two famous predecessors.”
Adams on Friday became the first sitting New York mayor to step into a courtroom as a criminal defendant. At his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to bribery, wire fraud and receiving improper campaign contributions.
“Your Honor, I am not guilty,” Ms Adams told Judge Katherine Parker.
He then waived a public reading of the 57-page indictment, telling Judge Parker he had already read it.
The indictment unsealed Thursday alleges that Democrats received a variety of offers from Turkish officials and businessmen, including free hotel nights and heavily discounted flights to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, Ghana and Turkey. He is accused of receiving inappropriate gifts.
Kean University President David Birdsell discusses the indictment and federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Mr. Adams is charged, among other things, with bribery, illegal foreign campaign fundraising, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and if convicted, the mayor could face severe prison sentences.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Adams received more than $100,000 worth of free or deeply discounted flight upgrades, as well as campaign contributions from straw donors, some of which he received in the amount of $1,000. He said it helped him qualify for more than $10,000 in public campaign contributions.
“Mayor Adams knowingly accepted these donations were illegal and intended to buy influence,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. According to the indictment, the mayor accepted first-class airline tickets and stayed at luxury hotels while failing to disclose the gifts as required by law. “Year after year, he continued to silence the public by claiming he had not received the gift,” Williams added.
Related | What is Mayor Eric Adams charged with? Read the indictment
The mayor is also accused of interfering with New York City Fire Department procedures to advance foreign interests. In one instance, Mr. Adams allegedly pressured a fire inspector to approve the opening of the Turkish consulate despite safety concerns in exchange for personal favors.
Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from donating to U.S. elections as a safeguard to protect the democratic process. Williams said Adams, aware of these restrictions, “directed his staff to pursue this illicit funding” not only during the 2021 mayoral campaign but also after he took office, and that he was unable to finance his re-election bid. He went into detail about how they rekindled the same relationship.
The alleged conduct dates back to Mr. Adams’ time as mayor and then as Brooklyn borough president. The indictment includes photos of luxury hotel rooms and other perks the mayor allegedly received.
But parishioners at Greater Allen AME Cathedral Church in New York say they support the mayor despite the accusations.
“I wish him well and I hope he remains in office. I hope he is proven guilty,” diocese Juan Maity said.
Despite growing calls for his resignation, Adams remains defiant, saying his day-to-day work remains unchanged. If he resigns, he will be replaced by city spokesperson Jumaane Williams, and a special election will be scheduled.
“We have to push the mayor to answer the questions,” Williams said in an interview with CNN. “If the mayor believes he can take the weight of everything that’s going on, and he really does… Only the mayor can answer that.” “We need to not only answer him, but present a plan as soon as possible, and I think the window for that is rapidly closing.”
Gov. Cathy Hochul, who has the power to remove the mayor, said Thursday she had “carefully considered” the indictment and called it “a very difficult day for New York City.”
She did not call for Adams to resign, but said, “It all depends on Mayor Adams showing he has leadership for the city.”
Additionally, while he considers his options and duties as governor, the mayor will spend the next few days reviewing the situation and “finding the right path forward to ensure the people of New York City are well served.” I look forward to it,” he added. their leaders. ”
“We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is stable and responsible leadership at every level of government,” she said.
Also read: Debate emerges over whether Eric Adams should resign as New York mayor
CeFaan Kim details the political implications of Mayor Adams’ indictment.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis Martin, had her cell phone confiscated on Friday when she returned to the United States from a vacation in Japan, her lawyer said.
Investigators also searched her home in Brooklyn, sources told ABC News.
“We are not thieves, but I am not mad at them. I respect and understand that they have to do their job. And today, when I handed over the device , they were completely gentlemanly towards me,” Lewis-Martin said. radio program.
Multiple agencies have an interest in Lewis Martin, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Southern District of New York’s Office, the same prosecutor’s office that indicted the mayor on charges of bribery, abetting and fraud.
Spokespeople for both firms declined to comment.
Her attorney Arthur Aidala released the following statement:
“Ingrid Lewis Martin has been served with a subpoena from the Southern District of New York and her cell phone has been turned over to the New York County District Attorney’s Office. She intends to fully cooperate with any investigation and Lewis is not the subject of any investigation.”This is a case that we are aware of.” ”
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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