Lawyers for Eric Adams called on a federal judge to toss part of the New York City mayor’s corruption case on Monday – insisting Hizzoner didn’t take bribes when he pushed FDNY leaders to fast track the opening of a Turkish tower.
The rapidly filed motion argues that one of the five criminal charges Adams faces – bribery – should be dismissed less than a week after a federal grand jury handed down the bombshell indictment.
Adams’ defense team also called the rest of the case brought by the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office “meritless,” and took a shot at former staffer Rana Abbasova, who is expected to serve as the feds’ key witness.
“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.
Federal prosecutors allege Adams, as de facto mayor-elect, pressured the fire department to rush to open a new 36-story Turkish consular building without a fire inspection in September 2021 in exchange for free and heavily discounted luxury travel perks.
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.
The bribery charge the defense wants to be tossed accuses Adams of accepting the luxury travel bribes in 2021 and 2022 in exchange for leaning on the FDNY to push through the Turkish House despite fire safety concerns.
Adams is also accused of encouraging Turkish benefactors to funnel cash into his 2021 campaign through illegal “straw donations,” and of fraudulently getting $10 million in public campaign money.
The first-term mayor has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the case. He has also resisted mounting calls to resign following the indictment.
The next hearing in the case, which has been assigned to District Judge Dale Ho, is set for Wednesday.
Adams’ lawyers, including high-profile attorney Alex Spiro, said 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.
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.”
Adams’ lawyers called the rest of the criminal counts “equally meritless,” arguing they all stem from “false claims” from a “self-interested staffer with an axe to grind,” in reference to Abbasova, a former aide and liaison to the Turkish community.
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.”
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