US prosecutors have charged New York City Eric Adams with bribery and fraud charges as part of a "long-running" scheme that has upended politics in America's largest city. As part of what officials have described as an "abuse of power", Adams is alleged to have accepted illegal gifts worth over $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens and at least one government official. In exchange, the Turkish officials are believed to have sought favours from the mayor, including help skirting safety regulations to open a consulate in New York, according to prosecutors.
Adams, a former police captain, has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the allegations in court. Let's take a look at what we know. Eric Adams is facing five separate criminal counts, including "conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals", wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery".
According to the 57-page indictment, Adams allegedly accepted more than $100,000 in luxury travel - including hotel stays, lavish meals and airline upgrades - from Turkish nationals beginning in 2016, when he still served as president of the New York borough of Brooklyn. In one instance, for example, Adams is alleged to have received a "heavily discounted" stay at the "Bentley Room" of Istanbul's St Regis hotel, paying $600 for a two-day visit that was valued at approximately $7,000. "This was a multi-year scheme to .