(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars for a legal defense fund amid an ongoing federal probe into his campaign’s financial dealings.
The mayor created Eric Adams Legal Defense Trust in November in response to a federal investigation looking into whether the Democrat’s campaign conspired to avoid finance rules by funneling donations from the Turkish government. He also hired a private attorney.
To date, the fund has collected more than $725,000 for Adams’ legal costs, including $625,000 by Dec. 31, Vito Pitta, an attorney for the fund, has told several news outlets.
Under campaign finance rules, Adams can use the fund to raise money for legal fees without violating city laws on receiving gifts. Adams can accept contributions of up to $5,000 for legal fees, but donors must be disclosed. City employees are prohibited from donating to the fund.
Federal agents raided the home of Breanna Suggs in early November as part of an investigation into whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with a Brooklyn-based construction company to funnel foreign money into the campaign by way of a straw donor scheme. Suggs served as a chief fundraiser for Adams’s 2021 gubernatorial campaign.
Investigators also seized Adams’ electronic devices, including two cell phones and an iPad, as part of the investigation.
Adams denies any wrongdoing and claims that his campaign “followed the rules” during his run for mayor. He noted that neither he nor Suggs had been accused of crimes by state or federal authorities.
Adams, up for reelection in two years, also faces a probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office announced several months ago it was investigating allegations that donors used Adams’ mayoral campaign to make donations for political influence.
In September, Adam’s former city buildings commissioner, Eric Ulrich, was arrested and charged with using his position to get political favors and provide access to the mayor in exchange for cash and other bribes, according to state prosecutors. Ulrich and other co-defendants in the case have pleaded not guilty.
Adams denied involvement in the alleged crimes, which did not directly implicate his mayoral campaign or administration.