Eric Adams’ legal team files motion to toss part of federal criminal case against mayor
Don’t forget to tip your politicians, folks!
The luxury goodies Eric Adams pocketed from Turkish benefactors aren’t bribes, but merely “gratuities” that are normal perks for any politician, argued the mayor’s celebrity lawyer Alex Spiro.
Spiro called on a Manhattan federal judge Monday to toss a bribery charge – one of five against Adams in the mayor’s corruption case – in a rapidly filed motion less than a week after a federal grand jury handed down the bombshell indictment.
The Supreme Court limited what constitutes official bribery, meaning the flight upgrades and travel perks that Adams took as Brooklyn’s borough president legally aren’t bribes that led the future Hizzoner to push FDNY leaders to fast track the opening of a Turkish tower, the filing argues.
“Gratuities are not federal crimes, courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes,” Spiro said during a wide-ranging news conference Monday after making the filing. “They do not violate federal law.”
“Congressmen get upgrades, they get corner suites, they get better tables at restaurants, they get free appetizers, they have their iced tea filled up,” he said. “That’s just what happens.”
Spiro’s past clients include Alec Baldwin, Elon Musk and Jay-Z.
Federal prosecutors contend Adams, as de facto mayor-elect, pressured the FDNY to rush to open a new 36-story Turkish consular building despite fire safety concerns in September 2021.
The indictment includes messages between Adams and the then-FDNY commissioner and details swanky flight upgrades and posh hotel suite stays Hizzoner received from Turkish backers dating back to 2016 — including two nights at the St. Regis Istanbul’s opulent “Bentley Suite,” which boasts goodies including champagne chillers built into its couch.
Adams’ lawyers, including Spiro, argued in Monday’s court docs that the US Attorney’s Office failed to outline that Adams agreed to accept any gift specifically in exchange for exercising his governmental pull, calling the allegations “vague.”
The texts Adams sent urging then-FDNY commissioner Daniel Nigro to help ensure that the Turkish tower would be open in time for a visit from Turkey’s president are merely “innocuous” messages that do not amount to what are known as “official acts” needed to make a bribery charge stick, the lawyers claimed.
“Despite the fact that the indictment reproduces quotes from messages, emails, and conversations for numerous other points, it does not allege any specific exchanges or conversations in which Adams and the Turkish official entered into this purported quid pro quo agreement,” his legal team wrote, while pointing to a recent US Supreme Court decision that has weakened anti-corruption laws.
The motion argued that because Adams was only Brooklyn borough president at the time, he did not have the power to order the FDNY to take action concerning the Manhattan building.
The former NYPD captain had clinched the Democratic primary for mayor months earlier and was expected to easily win the general election in November against Republican Curtis Sliwa.
“The government is effectively claiming that Adams used his potential future position as Mayor to exert pressure on officials, not the official position he actually held,” the motion reads.
“No precedent supports the notion that a candidate for office commits an official act by using her potential future powers to pressure an official to take some action.”
His lawyers also argued allegations he received travel benefits during a trip to Ghana after the glossy skyscraper was opened could simply amount to “gratuities,” which they said would fall outside the scope of bribery laws.
The motion accuses prosecutors of attempting to criminalize “routine interactions by government officials,” and claims the indictment “replaces measured ethics rules with the blunt force of federal criminal law.”
Spiro also tried to play offense during his news conference Monday, elaborating on arguments he and Adams’ defense team made in the filing that called the case brought by the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office “meritless,” and taking a shot at former staffer Rana Abbasova, who is expected to serve as the feds’ key witness.
He accused prosecutors of breaking the law by allegedly leaking information on the indictment to the press, and also contended Abbasova lied.
“The hiding that their key witness lied, the leaking of secret grand jury evidence to the press, is a grave breach, a grave breach of the public’s trust,” he said.
Sources have told The Post that Abbasova is cooperating with authorities and is a key witness.
Adams’ attorneys did not provide any evidence to support their argument against her — merely claiming that more “will be revealed in the course of litigation.”
The first-term mayor pleaded not guilty to all charges and has vowed to fight the case. He has also resisted mounting calls to resign following the indictment.
“I’ve done nothing wrong, time will prove that, and people will look back on this moment and say, ‘We’’re glad we gave this mayor the opportunity to do the work he’s doing,’” he said Monday.
The next hearing in the case, which has been assigned to District Judge Dale Ho, is set for Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Jack Morphet
