- Eric Adams appeared in federal court Friday for his criminal arraignment.
- The New York City mayor entered a not-guilty plea to the bribery and fraud indictment against him.
- His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said he’ll file a motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to his sprawling criminal bribery indictment after sitting through a lengthy reading of the charges during his arraignment in a federal courtroom in Manhattan.
“I am not guilty, your honor,” Adams told the judge.
His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said he would move quickly to ask a judge to toss the case.
He said in court he plans to file a motion to dismiss the 57-page indictment — a step that normally takes months — on Wednesday.
“We expect these charges to be dismissed,” Spiro told journalists outside the courthouse following the arraignment hearing, accusing prosecutors of using a “shaky theory” for the case.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have accused Adams of participating in a yearslong scheme in which he accepted bribes, including luxury travel perks, from the Turkish government.
In exchange, prosecutors said Adams pushed city officials to approve plans for the Turkish House, a 36-story tower near the United Nations that houses Turkey’s consulate and other diplomatic functions.
Adams has denied wrongdoing. Wearing a dark navy suit, a patterned maroon tie, and a somber expression on his face, he entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker shortly after noon.
Adams was not required to post bail and is allowed to stay out of jail on the condition that he has no contact with the people named in the indictment.
Prosecutor Celia Cohen said in court that she would work with Spiro to reach an agreement that would limit the mayor’s contact with City Hall staff and family members.
Adams would not have contact with certain staffers “concerning the facts and circumstances in the indictment” or beyond “routine business,” Parker told the lawyers.
The hearing took place in a frigid courtroom on the 26th floor of the courthouse packed with journalists.
It was the same room where Sean “Diddy” Combs — to whom Adams gave a “key to the city” in September 2023 — was arraigned on his own set of criminal charges last week.
Adams is being represented in his criminal case by Spiro, Elon Musk’s go-to lawyer, who also recently won an acquittal for Alec Baldwin in a criminal case over the “Rust” movie set shooting.
Following Friday’s arraignment hearing, Adams and Spiro stood outside the courthouse and spoke to members of the press. Adams gave a thumbs-up in the direction of a man who yelled “I love you!”
The man appeared to be hosting a comedy show and had been asking journalists whether they were polyamorous in the moments before the mayor appeared outside.
Spiro compared the charges against Adams to a criminal corruption indictment against Brian Benjamin, who had served as the lieutenant governor of New York state.
A district court judge dismissed the charges in 2022 before they went to trial, ruling that prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to prove their case. But an appeals court reinstated the charges earlier this year.
Spiro also put the blame on one of Adams’ staffers, who is featured extensively throughout the 57-page indictment.
He said the staffer “lied” and acted independently while currying favors from the Turkish government.
“There are no emails, text messages, or any evidence whatsoever that the mayor had anything to do with these donations,” Spiro said.
Since the indictment, the number of Democrats calling for Adams’ resignation has grown.
The mayor’s trial is set to be overseen by US District Judge Dale Ho, a former top election lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union who was nominated by President Joe Biden.
Ho took the bench a year ago, and a trial for Adams would be his first high-profile case as a judge.
This story was updated with details from the arraignment and press conference and to correct the spelling of US Magistrate Katharine Parker’s first name.
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