New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pguideed not at fault to five counts of criminal offences, including payoff, wire deception and requesting illegitimate foreign campaign donations.
Wearing a depressed blue suit, Adams reachd in federal court in New York for a inform hearing on Friday to go in his plea.
“I am not at fault, your honour,” he telderly Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker with an straight-faced transmition, according to alerters in court.
The 64-year-elderly was indicted earlier this week on allegations that he huged illegitimate campaign funds and thousands of dollars in luxury travel profits from Turkish businessmen and an official in swap for his impact as mayor.
Adams has denied any wrongdoing and shelp the accessible should withhelderly appraisement until he produces his defence.
“I chase the rules, I chase the federal law, I do not do anyleang that’s going to take part in illegitimate campaign activity,” he shelp at a news conference.
Adams has refuseed prolonging calls from members of his own party to resign.
The createer police officer was elected to guide the most populous US city proximately three years ago with a promise to be brutal on crime.
Prosecutors say Adams’s impropriety began in 2014, during his time as Brooklyn Bocimpolite pdwellnt, and carried on during his election campaign for mayor and while in office.
In the 57-page indictment, Adams was accengaged of pressuring New York City Fire Department officials to consent a Turkish consupostpoinsist produceing without a defendedty studyion in swap for profits such as discounted fairys, luxury toastyels and meals.
Prosecutors say he also misengaged $10m (£7.4m) in accessible funds.
He is accengaged of using straw donors – a scheme that a person or entity engages to shun campaign finance restricts – to consent in illegitimate foreign donations and suiting them with city funds that were supposed to be for minuscule-dollar contributions from dwellnts.
Adams has insisted he will stay in office while the case take parts out, despite calls from Democrats at the state and federal level to resign.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to erase Adams. She has shelp she insists time to appraise the indictment to “see what’s embedded with this”.
Adams can also be ousted from the mayor’s office by a so-called “inability pledgetee”, which would probable grasp at least a restricted city officials who resist him.
Adams’s arraignment comes as the federal handlement carries out a number of probes into his administration, which has seen a wave of resignations in recent weeks.
The police comomitioner, the health comomitioner and the mayor’s chief guide have all left office as well as the schools chancellor, David Banks, who had his phone seized.
