FBI agents seized electronic devices belonging to Mayor Eric Adams earlier this week amid an ongoing investigation into his 2021 campaign fundraising, his campaign attorney said Friday.
Adams handed the devices over to federal agents after they approached him following an event Monday night, Adams' campaign attorney, Boyd Johnson, said in a statement provided to NY1.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told NY1 that the mayor later provided additional devices after the initial contact by the FBI.
What You Need To Know
- FBI agents seized electronic devices belonging to Mayor Eric Adams earlier this week amid an ongoing investigation into his 2021 campaign fundraising, his attorney said Friday
- The FBI seizure came days after federal agents raided the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, Adams' chief fundraiser
- Multiple reports said the raid was part of a probe into whether Adams' campaign conspired with a Brooklyn construction company and the Turkish government to funnel foreign money into the campaign
- Adams' campaign attorney on Friday said the mayor "has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation"
"After learning of the federal investigation, it was discovered that an individual had recently acted improperly. In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this behavior was immediately and proactively reported to investigators," Johnson said in his statement, without providing additional details.
"The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation," Johnson added.
The FBI seizure came days after federal agents raided the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, Adams' chief fundraiser.
Multiple reports said the raid was part of a probe into whether his campaign conspired with a Brooklyn construction company and the Turkish government to funnel foreign money into the campaign.
In his own statement Friday, Adams said he had "nothing to hide."
"As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation — and I will continue to do exactly that," the mayor said.
Adams' campaigns paid Suggs' firm, Suggs Solutions LLC more than $150,000 between 2021 and 2023, public records show.
In addition, the Striving for a Better New York political action committee that backs Adams' agenda paid Suggs' firm $100,000 for consulting and fundraising, according to state records.
Last week, Adams defended Suggs, who started as a 19-year-old intern in Brooklyn Borough Hall before leading Adams’ fundraising efforts as a 21-year-old.
"She has done an amazing job, and she will stay with the campaign team," Adams said on PIX 11 News a day after the raid.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Adams for the first time gave some details into his thought process when he abruptly left Washington, D.C. for New York following the raid.
The day of the raid, Adams was set to meet with White House officials and other mayors over the migrant crisis. The mayor boarded a plane and talked up the importance of the trip, but never made it to the meeting.
He said a campaign staffer notified him of the incident, so he rushed back to the city to comfort Suggs, but noted that he "did not speak with Brianna on that day because I didn't want to give any appearance of interference."
He said coming back to the city was about showing leadership.
"When you have something like that action that took place, your team is looking at you. Your presence is everything. And I wanted to be here not only among my campaign team, but my City Hall team," Adams said.
The mayor has retained the law firm William Hale amid the investigation, which retains both former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and former city lawyer Brendan McGuire.
Numerous New York politicians are currently in Puerto Rico for the annual SOMOS conference, where Adams is noticeably absent.
“Obviously as the story develops, it continues to be deeply concerning to me, to my colleagues to see, to so many New Yorkers, especially here during the SOMOS conference, where the talk is about really important issues on New Yorker’s mind — affordability, building housing, childcare, things that people really need to get back on track," Sen. Jessica Ramos told NY1 at the conference, adding the news is a “distraction from the actual work.”
“Like I always say, ‘We actually don’t need him to get stuff done. We need him to get work done,‘“ she said.
Reporting from Dan Rivoli, Kelly Mena and Bernadette Hogan was used in this report.