By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams will go on trial on corruption charges starting April 21, 2025, a U.S. judge ruled on Friday, as the embattled Democrat prepares for a bruising reelection campaign.
U.S. District Judge Dale Ho set the trial date at a hearing in federal court in Manhattan.
Adams, 64, pleaded not guilty last month to federal charges of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals in exchange for pressuring city officials to allow Turkey’s new 36-story consulate to open despite safety concerns.
A former police officer who rose to the rank of captain, Adams is the first of the city’s 110 mayors to be charged with a federal crime while in office. At least seven senior officials in his administration have resigned in recent months as multiple federal corruption probes engulf City Hall.
Adams, who took office in January 2022, has declined to resign despite calls to do so from several senior Democrats in the largest U.S. city, including U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler. Adams has pledged to run for reelection next year, and is expected to face a competitive Democratic primary in the left-leaning city.
Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, has told reporters the case rests on the assertions of a staffer who falsely implicated Adams. He has also minimized the severity of the charges, calling the case the “airline upgrade corruption case.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry has said Ankara was following the proceedings in Adams’ case closely and that its diplomats adhered to protocol.
Adams last month received an unlikely message of support from former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president in Tuesday’s upcoming election, who is facing federal charges over efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty in that case, also was convicted of 34 felony counts in state court in New York City.
“Good luck with everything, they went after you,” Trump said in a light-hearted speech at a charity gala in New York on Oct. 17. “I don’t like what they do.”
Adams has not been as critical of Trump as other Democrats. Asked earlier this week if he believed Trump was a “fascist,” as Vice President Kamala Harris has asserted, Adams said no.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York)
