The FBI seized several electronic devices, including at least two mobile phones belonging to New York City mayor, Eric Adams. This occurred as the FBI escalated its corruption investigation into Adams’s successful 2021 campaign, as reported by the New York Times. The raid was an escalation from a previous raid on the home of Brianna Suggs, Adams’s top campaign fundraiser.
Previous reports indicated that Adams and his campaign team repeatedly refused regulators’ requests to disclose the source of around $300,000 in donations. The New York Times reported that FBI agents confiscated “at least two cellphones and an iPad” belonging to Adams, following the raid on Suggs’s residence.
It’s worth noting that all the equipment was eventually returned, but the FBI was able to copy data contained on the devices, as authorized by a court-issued warrant. In response, Adams stated through a spokesperson that he had fully cooperated with the investigation and expected the same from his staff.
Adams’s campaign attorney, Boyd Johnson, stated that the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation. The investigation is exploring whether Adams’s 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others, seeking records about donations from Bay Atlantic University. This college is affiliated with a school Adams visited when he went to Turkey as Brooklyn borough president in 2015.
The FBI and the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York declined to comment, according to the New York Times. After the raid on the home of Suggs, Adams returned to New York from Washington DC, where he had scheduled meetings with White House and congressional leaders to discuss immigration.
The complexity of the situation highlights the current investigation into Adams’s 2021 campaign and its potential ties to the Turkish government and others. As the investigation unfolds, the situation could impact the public’s perception of Eric Adams and his political career.
