Federal prosecutors allege they’ve uncovered “extra felony conduct” by New York Mayor Eric Adams forward of his scheduled trial in April.
Adams, 64, was charged in September with 5 felony counts, together with bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a international nationwide.
In courtroom paperwork filed Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York mentioned that “legislation enforcement has continued to establish extra people concerned in Adams’s conduct, and to uncover extra felony conduct by Adams,” as a part of the continuing investigation.
At a information convention Tuesday, Adams criticized the investigation.
“Even Ray Charles can see what’s happening,” Adams mentioned, referring to the late artist, who was blind. “And I’ve an lawyer, Alex Spiro, who’s dealing with that. I’ve mentioned over and over: I’ve executed nothing improper.”
Spiro slammed the federal government’s newest submitting, saying that “that is beginner hour” and accusing prosecutors of “simply searching for a headline as a substitute of doing the correct factor.”
The prosecutors’ submitting was in response to Adams’ request for a invoice of particulars, that means extra particulars in regards to the costs and why he’s being accused.
The authorities pushed again towards his request, arguing that revealing an inventory of alleged co-conspirators “would prejudice the continuing investigation” and will result in potential witness tampering.
“The Indictment gives ample trigger to imagine that as potential witnesses grew to become identified to Adams and his allies, measures had been taken to affect their testimony,” prosecutors mentioned in Monday’s submitting, citing the preliminary indictment. “And even with out a chance of bodily violence, the specter of witness tampering additional helps denial of a invoice of particulars in a white-collar case.”
Prosecutors didn’t embrace particulars in regards to the allegations of extra felony conduct or others concerned in Monday’s submitting.
However, the federal government mentioned at a courtroom listening to in October that extra costs towards Adams had been “attainable” and that it was “probably” that extra defendants can be charged within the corruption case.
Adams, a New York City police captain, has pleaded not responsible. He is the primary sitting New York City mayor to be indicted on felony costs within the trendy period.
