Federal grand jury reviewing evidence as part of probe into Mayor Adams’ campaign, sources say
NEW YORK — A federal grand jury is reviewing evidence as part of the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s investigation into Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign ties to Turkey, and at least one person linked to the mayor has received a subpoena in recent weeks, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The evidence being reviewed by the grand jury focuses on allegations that Adams’ 2021 campaign received illegal donations from the Turkish government, two of the sources told The New York Daily News on Friday.
A third source noted that in the past three weeks at least one person connected to the mayor has received a federal subpoena from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office with specific instructions prohibiting the recipient from speaking publicly about its contents.
A spokesman for Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who’s leading the Adams campaign probe, declined to comment or confirm or deny anything about the investigation late Friday.
Asked about the grand jury development, Adams spokesman Fabien Levy said: “City Hall has said since the beginning that it will cooperate fully with this review — and it has by making individuals available to discuss any details necessary in order to reach a just and timely conclusion.”
Levy didn’t elaborate further. Adams’ campaign and personal lawyers did not respond to messages.
When asked outside City Hall on Friday afternoon whether she has heard about a federal grand jury reviewing the Turkey matter, Adams’ chief counsel Lisa Zornberg declined to directly respond.
Federal grand juries have the power to bring indictments and issue subpoenas seeking documents, testimony or both.
The mayor hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing in the probe. He maintains he hasn’t engaged in any wrongdoing and says his team is in contact with the investigators leading the probe.
“I follow the law. I sleep well at night,” he said last month when asked if he’s concerned about legal exposure in the federal probe.
The probe into Adams and Turkey came into public view last November when federal investigators raided the homes of City Hall aide Rana Abbasova, top Adams campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs and Cenk Öcal, a former Turkish Airlines executive and member of the mayor’s 2021 transition team.
Days after those raids, the feds seized the mayor’s electronic devices on a Manhattan street, and Abbasova has since started cooperating with investigators.
According to a search warrant first reported by The New York Times last year, the feds are looking for evidence that Adams’ campaign conspired with Turkey’s government to funnel illegal foreign money into the campaign’s coffers via straw donors. The feds are reportedly also investigating whether the mayor, his campaign or people close to him secured any favors for Turkish government officials or associates.
The probe has reportedly honed in on free upgrades the mayor received on Turkish Airlines flights. Sources have confirmed the feds are also scrutinizing whether the mayor, while still Brooklyn borough president, helped expedite fire safety inspections for Turkey’s consulate in Manhattan so it could open in time for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in fall 2021.
(Molly Crane-Newman contributed to this report.)
