FBI agents have seized the phones and electronic devices of New York Mayor Eric Adams as part of a federal investigation into his campaign finances, one of his lawyers said Friday.
The seizures are believed to be related to a corruption investigation examining whether Mr. Adams colluded with the government and Turkish nationals during his 2021 campaign for New York mayor.
“On Monday evening, the FBI contacted the mayor following an incident. The mayor immediately responded to the FBI’s request and turned over electronic devices,” Boyd Johnson, the campaign’s lawyer, said in a statement sent to AFP.
“He has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
The federal investigation into Mr. Adams’ campaign became public last week when FBI agents searched the home of his campaign’s fundraising manager – 25-year-old intern Brianna Suggs – and seized computers and cellphones as well as a cardboard folder marked “Eric Adams.”
Last week, after the search, the mayor hastily left Washington, where he was scheduled to meet with White House and congressional officials about the influx of migrants into his city, to return to New York.
“I expect all members of my team to abide by the law and cooperate fully in any form of investigation,” Adams said in a statement released Friday.
“That’s exactly what I will continue to do,” he said, assuring that he “has nothing to hide.”
According to the New York Times, the search warrant for Ms. Suggs’ home was aimed at obtaining evidence of a conspiracy between the mayor’s campaign team, the Turkish government and a Turkish-owned real estate developer in Brooklyn.
The warrant reportedly said authorities were investigating whether donations from the government or Turkish nationals were made to Mr. Adams through a system that allegedly listed fake donors.
The connection between the seizure of Mr. Adams’ devices and the search of Ms. Suggs’ home is not yet clear.
In his press release, Mr. Johnson stated that “after he became aware of the federal investigation, it became apparent that an individual had recently acted inappropriately,” without specifying the details of the investigation to which he was referring.