FBI agents seized the phones and electronic devices of New York City Mayor Eric Adams as part of a federal investigation into his campaign finances, one of his lawyers said Friday.
The seizures are believed to be linked to a corruption investigation into whether Mr Adams, during his campaign for mayor of New York City in 2021, conspired with the government and Turkish citizens.
“Monday evening, the FBI contacted the sheriff after an incident. “The mayor immediately responded to the FBI’s request and turned over the electronic devices,” campaign lawyer Boyd Johnson said in a statement sent to AFP.
“He has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
The federal investigation into Mr. Adams’ campaign became public last week when FBI agents searched the home of his campaign’s fundraising director — 25-year-old intern Brianna Suggs — and seized computers and cell phones as well as a cardboard folder marked “Eric Adams.”
Last week, after the inspection, the mayor hurriedly left Washington, where he was scheduled to meet with White House and Congressional officials about the influx of migrants to his city, to return to New York.
“I expect all members of my team to follow the law and cooperate fully with any form of investigation,” Adams said in a statement issued Friday.
He declared: “This is exactly what I will continue to do,” stressing that “he has nothing to hide.”
According to the New York Times, the search warrant for Ms. Suggs’ home was intended to obtain evidence of a conspiracy between the mayor’s campaign, the Turkish government, and a Brooklyn real estate developer whose owners are Turkish.
The memo reportedly said that authorities were investigating whether donations from the government or Turkish citizens were made to Mr Adams through a system in which fake contributors were allegedly listed.
The connection between the seizure of Mr. Adams’ devices and the search of Ms. Suggs’ home is not yet clear.
Johnson noted in his press release that “after learning of the federal investigation, it became clear that an individual had recently acted inappropriately,” without specifying the details of the investigation he was referring to.
