Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents have seized New York Mayor Eric Adams’ cell phones, said his campaign lawyer on Friday (November 10). This is being seen as an escalation of an investigation into fundraising for the campaign. The investigation pertains to suspected corruption and whether Adams’ 2021 campaign colluded with Turkish government and others.
“On Monday night, the FBI approached the mayor after an event. The Mayor immediately complied with the FBI’s request and provided them with electronic devices,” said Boyd Johnson, the lawyer for the campaign. He was quoted by AFP.
“The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
The federal investigation came into public gaze just last week when FBI searched home of Brianna Suggs (25), a one-time intern who was Eric Adams’ former top fundraiser. The FBI agents has seized laptops, mobile phones and a manila folder with a label ‘Eric Adams’.
At the time of this raid, Adams was in Washington but rushed to New York.
Adams, who himself is a former police officer, released a statement on Friday last week.
“I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation,” he said.
“I will continue to do exactly that,” the mayor said. “I have nothing to hide.”
The New York Times has already reported that aim of FBI’s raid on Sugg’s home was to find evidence of any conspiracy between Adams’ campaign, Turkey and a developer whose owners are Turkish.
It did not become immediately clear whether FBI’s confiscation of Adams’ phones was connected to FBI raid on Sugg’s home.
In his statement on Friday, attorney Johnson said that “after learning of the federal investigation, it was discovered that an individual had recently acted improperly,” without specifying details of the probe he was referring to.
“In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this behavior was immediately and proactively reported to investigators. The mayor has been and remains committed to cooperating in this matter.”
(With inputs from agencies)
