By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Nationwide Correspondent
(NNPA NEWSWIRE) – FBI brokers confiscated digital gadgets belonging to New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams earlier this week, intensifying a felony inquiry into potential collaboration with the Turkish authorities, amongst others, in an alleged scheme to funnel funds into Adams’ 2021 marketing campaign coffers.
In accordance with a New York Instances report, the incident unfolded after an occasion at New York College, the place brokers approached the mayor and requested his safety element to step apart. Armed with a court-authorized warrant, the brokers joined Adams in his SUV and seized at the least two cellphones and an iPad.
The Instances stated the digital gadgets had been returned to the mayor inside days of the Nov. 6 encounter. It’s common apply for regulation enforcement investigators armed with a search warrant to make copies of information from seized gadgets for additional evaluation.
Boyd Johnson, a lawyer representing Adams and his marketing campaign, issued a press release asserting the mayor’s cooperation with federal authorities. Johnson acknowledged that Adams had already “proactively reported” at the least one occasion of improper habits upon studying of the federal investigation. “Within the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this habits was instantly and proactively reported to investigators,” Johnson stated.
Emphasizing that authorities had not accused Adams of wrongdoing, Johnson reiterated that the mayor swiftly complied with the FBI’s request and willingly offered them along with his digital gadgets.
Nonetheless, not all reactions to the information had been supportive. Curtis Sliwa, a former New York Metropolis mayoral candidate, referred to as for Adams’s resignation. “He’s too distracted by the a number of investigations into his fundraising to guide New York Metropolis,” Sliwa insisted.
Chris Sosa, a member of the New York Democratic Committee, echoed comparable sentiments, urging Adams to step down instantly. “Our leaders must demand that he step down for the well being of our metropolis,” Sosa wrote on X. “I’m not suggesting something concerning the end result of investigations. However the mayor can’t execute his duties successfully below these escalating circumstances.”
