Mayor Adams' Indictment: Favors and Undisclosed Benefits from Turkish Interests

Mayor Eric Adams' indictment reveals a web of favors and undisclosed benefits from Turkish interests. In 2021, Adams won the Democratic primary and planned a trip to Istanbul. His aide, Rana Abbasova, contacted Turkish Airlines' Cenk Öcal for tickets. Öcal offered a suspiciously low price of $50, prompting Abbasova to request a more realistic $1,000. Adams eventually paid $2,200 for business class tickets worth over $15,000.

Adams' election win in New York drew attention in Turkey. Arda Sayiner, a businessman, planned to leverage Adams' position for Turkish lobbying. Turkish Consul General Reyhan Özgür assured Abbasova that Adams' Turkish contacts were unnecessary, as the foreign minister was personally involved.

In 2022, Adams traveled to Ghana, with Turkish Airlines covering most of the $14,000 business-class ticket cost. A nine-hour layover in Istanbul included a BMW ride and a high-end meal, arranged by Özgür.

Adams also pressured the Fire Department to approve a Turkish Consulate tower with serious fire safety defects, to accommodate a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sayiner suggested raising illegal foreign donations for Adams' campaign. Abbasova initially doubted Adams' involvement but later found he agreed. The FBI later searched Abbasova's home, leading her to cooperate with prosecutors.

Adams maintained a policy of hiding communications, deleting messages to avoid scrutiny. He met with Abbasova and Sayiner to discuss collecting foreign donations, highlighting his entanglement with Turkish interests.