Devices owned by Mayor Eric Adams were seized by FBI agents this week, as part of an ongoing investigation into potential corruption during his 2021 campaign. Two sources have disclosed the investigation centers on whether or not Mayor Adams’s campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to move money around. After being approached on the street, Mayor Adams’s security detail was asked to step aside as agents took custody of two cellphones and an iPad, under the authority of a court-ordered warrant. The devices were returned to Mayor Adams a few days later.
This double-dealing investigation was made public on November 2nd, when the FBI conducted a search at the home of Brianna Suggs, Mayor Adams’ chief fundraiser, and seized several electronic devices along with a folder labeled “Eric Adams”. The federal warrant reportedly sought evidence of a conspiracy to violate campaign finance law between the mayor’s campaign, the Turkish government and Turkish nationals, and a Brooklyn-based developer, KSK Construction, whose owners are of Turkish origin. Investigators are also said to be looking into the mayor’s campaign’s use of New York City’s public matching program, a scheme that matches New York residents’ campaign donations.
Federal authorities are seeking to determine whether campaign members provided any form of benefits to Turkey or the construction company in exchange for donations. Beyond this, other individuals connected to Mayor Adams have faced legal scrutiny, including his former buildings commissioner and senior adviser, Eric Ulrich, who was indicted on multiple felony charges this September. Mayor Adams, a former police officer himself, has maintained that he has always urged his staff to stay within the bounds of law in their professional conduct. The mayor’s representatives and the law enforcement authorities declined to comment on the matter.
