New York City Mayor Seeks to Dismiss Bribery Count

The mayor’s legal team said the alleged conduct described in the indictment does not meet the definition of bribery, one of five charges he faces.

New York Mayor Eric Adams listens during a briefing on security preparations ahead of former President Donald Trump's arrival in New York City on April 3, 2023. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Attorneys for New York City Mayor Eric Adams have urged a federal court to dismiss one of the five criminal charges brought against him last week.

In a motion filed on Sept. 30, Adams’s legal team argued for the dismissal of a bribery charge, claiming that the mayor did not take bribes from the Turkish government while allegedly pressuring the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to fast-track the opening of a 36-story Turkish Consulate in Manhattan.