There are new legal troubles emerging for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, after federal prosecutors — who indicted him on corruption charges in 2023 — said they have uncovered “additional criminal conduct” by the mayor.
Prosecutors previously said there would likely be additional charges filed against the mayor and/or his associates. In their latest court filing, feds slipped in their claim there had been new conduct from Adams uncovered since the September indictment.
In the new court filing, prosecutors said even before they had uncovered the new evidence, there was already reason to believe Adams had engaged in witness tampering.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said the conduct was uncovered as part of their “ongoing investigation,” according to court documents filed on Monday.
“Although the indictment and discovery provide Adams with more than sufficient information as to his alleged co-conspirators and aiders and abettors, law enforcement has continued to identify additional individuals involved in Adams’s conduct, and to uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams,” the government said in the filing.
In response to the filing, Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro said “This is amateur hour. They are just looking for a headline instead of doing the right thing. I assume we are at the point where New Yorkers are not falling for it.”
Many of those around City Hall are said to be watching closely to see if anything with the charges develops — notably, before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Adams himself addressed the case while speaking to reporters Tuesday. He took a page out of Trump’s book, implying that the prosecutors in his case are politically motivated.
“Even Ray Charles can see what’s going on,” the mayor said, and denied any claims of witness tampering or wrongdoing. “Speak with my counsel. I do not tell people to commit criminal actions. So speak to my counsel to deal with anything with the investigation. I am focused on running the city.”
The allegations came as Adams has been preparing for his final state of the city address before facing re-election in the Fall, and as he has been taking more of the bait from reporters when it comes to questions about his challengers for the Democratic primary.
He even took a swipe at former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has not announced a run. While he ordinarily dodges the question about Cuomo, on Tuesday Adams commented on Cuomo’s batting average.
“I know I was probably .399, he was not as high as mine. I had the Aaron Judge years, with some of my records,” the mayor said.
But Adams insists he’s staying focused.
“The state and the governor must deal with the finances of the MTA that’s their job. I have 99 problems and I have to deal with what’s in my portfolio,” he said when a reporter asked him a question about how the MTA manages its money.
NBC News’ Chloe Atkins contributed to this report.
