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9 months ago
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams fears he is about to be indicted on federal campaign violation charges, sources tell DailyMail.com.
Adams is said to have expressed his fears this week to people close to him as the FBI investigation into his campaign finances gathered steam, and after his former top fundraiser Brianna Suggs retained her own lawyers, foregoing the team that is currently representing City Hall.
Between 2018 and 2021, Adams' campaign accepted $18,000 in total from Turkish individuals and organizations. He returned $5,000 to fall in line with donation limits.
The FBI is investigating whether those donations breach campaign laws that prohibit contributions from foreign governments or individuals working on their behalf.
If an indictment is filed, Adams will either be forced to battle through a legal fight while in office or step down. Should the latter scenario arise, it could lead to a chaotic, 60-day open election to find a replacement with no clear front runners.
Mayor Eric Adams has expressed concerns he may face indictment over campaign donations from Turkish individuals and organizations, according to DailyMail.com's sources
Suggs had been represented by WilmerHale, the firm that is currently representing Adams and the campaign.
This week, she retained Rebecca Ricigliano, a former federal prosecutor who previously worked for the Southern District of New York and now works for white collar crime firm Crowell & Moring.
In a statement this week, Ricigliano said they were cooperating with the government's investigation.
City Hall today denied that Adams was at all concerned about charges.
'Stop spreading lies, especially from people who have no involvement in this matter,' a spokesman told DailyMai.com, directing his comments towards the sources who indicated Adams' concerns.
A source close to the campaign also denied that he was worried, citing the fact investigators are yet to make any specific allegations against him.
'This is nothing more than a political stunt from an opponent of the mayor trying to stir things up,' they said.
According to campaign finance records, Adams' team took $6,000 from three US citizens who sit on the board of the Turken Foundation, the charity founded by Erdogan's son, between 2018 and 2021.
The campaign returned $1,000 which exceeded the limit for individual donations.
FBI agents raided the home of Brianna Suggs, one of Adams' aides, earlier this month
The campaign also received $12,600 from two board members of the advocacy group The Turkish American Steering Committee.
The campaign returned $4,000 of the contributions after being cited for violating donation limits.
Brianna Suggs, Adams top fundraiser in 2021, has retained her own team of lawyers
One of those foundations, a group that builds housing for Muslim students in the US, was founded by the son of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish politicians have in the past questioned whether the Erdogan family was using The Turken Foundation to stash money overseas.
The Adams campaign had to give back more than $8,000 of those contributions due to campaign contribution limit rules.
Should Adams step down in the face of an indictment, his resignation would trigger a 60-day open election.
His current term ends in 2025 and it remains unclear if he will face any strong opponents.
If Adams steps down, his immediate responsibilities would fall to Public Advocate public advocate Jumaane Williams, then City Comptroller, Brand Lander.
A special election would then be held 60 days after Adams' resignation.
Potential candidates include former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down amid a sexual harassment scandal, his aide Melissa DeRosa, and New York State Director of Operations Kathryn Garcia.
Adams team has been cooperating with the FBI's investigation into the donations and his campaign since agents raided the home of his top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, earlier this month.
The agents seized multiple phones, laptops and paperwork from Suggs' home in Brooklyn.
Three board members from The Turken Foundation contributed to Adams' 2021 campaign. The company was incorporated by Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
In 2018, Adams - then the Brooklyn Borough President - attended a breaking ground ceremony for the Turken House, the organization with ties to the Turkish President's son. It builds student housing for Muslim students in the US
Adams, speaking after the raid, insisted he was cooperating with the investigation and had done no wrong.
The possibility of an indictment against Adams himself comes a day after Suggs switched lawyers from the firm that is representing Adams and his campaign, to her own team of attorneys.
Suggs has been reassigned from fundraising to another role.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams said: 'With Brianna, she's no longer doing fundraising for the campaign.' He declined to elaborate.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reported to have expressed interest in a mayoral bid. Kathryn Garcia, the former Department of Sanitation Commissioner, is another contender
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