New York City Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to return to court Friday as he seeks to fend off federal corruption charges while battling for his political future. The Democrat is expected to appear at the 2 p.m.
hearing in Manhattan federal court, where his lawyers are set to argue that a bribery charge — one of five counts against Adams — should be thrown out because it does not meet the federal standard of a crime. The indictment, which also includes wire fraud and conspiracy charges, accuses Adams of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel perks valued at $100,000 along with illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence. In exchange, prosecutors say, Adams performed political favors that benefited the Turkish government, including accelerating the opening of a consulate building deemed unsafe by fire inspectors.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges and vowed to remain in office as he mounts his legal defense. U.S.
District Judge Dale E. Ho allotted the defense and prosecution each 20 minutes to argue the issue. Late Thursday, Ho rejected Adams' request for a hearing on the mayor's claims that the government has been leaking information about the investigation to the news media.
The judge ruled that Adams and his lawyers failed to substantiate those claims and, if any leaks occurred, that the government was to blame. As for the bribery charge, Adams’ lawyers urged Ho in a memo last month.