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Mayor Adams, his campaign and City Hall subpoenaed by feds as part of
Turkey investigation
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Mayor Eric Adams is pictured during a press conference at City Hall Blue Room on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.(Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
By Chris Sommerfeldt | [email protected] | New York Daily News
UPDATED: August 15, 2024 at 9:35 p.m.
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Manhattan federal prosecutors subpoenaed Mayor Adams, his election committee and his
City Hall office last month as part of their investigation into whether Turkey’s government
pumped illegal donations into his 2021 campaign coffers, a source familiar with the matter
told the Daily News late Thursday.
The new batch of grand jury subpoenas mark the latest escalation in the probe led by
prosecutors in Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams’ office .
In November, FBI agents working on the investigation stopped the mayor in the street and
seized his cellphones, a dramatic move that came days after feds raided the homes of
multiple individuals connected to him, including Brianna Suggs , his chief political fundraiser,
and Rana Abbasova a longtime Adams aide who used to serve as his liaison to local Turkish
,
diaspora communities.
The new subpoenas, which include one targeting the mayor directly, are seeking additional
similar information to what has already been swept up in the probe, like text messages and
bank account information, said the source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
Adams has not been publicly accused of any wrongdoing.
According to the New York Times, which first reported the latest subpoenas, they also seek
information about the mayor’s travels and campaign fundraising. Beyond the mayor, The
Times reported the subpoenas are likely to sweep in information from people who worked on
Adams’ 2021 campaign and have since been appointed to serve in positions at City Hall.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the feds investigating the mayor have zeroed in
on his multiple trips to the Middle Eastern country as well as a batch of donations to his 2021
campaign from executives of a Brooklyn-based construction company owned by Turkish
nationals. Other issues under scrutiny include the mayor’s effort to help resolve fire safety
violations at Turkey’s consulate in Manhattan as well as his reportedly accepting free
upgrades on Turkish Airlines flights.
Brendan McGuire, the mayor’s former chief counsel at City Hall who now serves as his lead
attorney in the federal probe, said Adams, his campaign and his office “are in the process of
responding to the recently issued subpoenas.”
McGuire also said that he and other lawyers at WilmerHale, the law firm where he’s a partner,
have since November “conducted our own investigation of the areas we understand the U.S.
Attorney’s Office has been reviewing.”
“Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of
thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,” McGuire said in a
statement. “To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the mayor.
To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of
federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the U.S. Attorney.”
A spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment.
As first reported by The News earlier this year, a federal grand jury has been reviewing
evidence as part of the investigation into the mayor’s 2021 campaign at least since June.
After that report, Lisa Zornberg, Adams’ chief counsel at City Hall, told reporters “subpoenas
are served all the time” during federal investigations.
“They’re a tool to gather evidence,” she said at the time.
The source familiar with the new subpoenas confirmed they were issued by a federal grand
jury.
Federal grand juries have the power to both issue subpoenas for records and testimony and
can bring indictments as well.
It remains unclear whether the probe into the mayor’s campaign and its Turkey ties will result
in any charges.
Asked for comment on the new subpoenas, Fabien Levy, Adams’ spokesman at City Hall, said
the mayor remains committed to cooperate with the investigation.
“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has been clear over the last nine
months that he will cooperate with any investigation underway,” Levy said. “Nothing has
changed. He expects everyone to cooperate to swiftly bring this investigation to a close.”
Originally Published: August 15, 2024 at 9:24 p.m.
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2024 August 15
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