Just two months after Mayor Eric Adams created a legal defense fund to help him with an ongoing federal probe, NY1 has learned exclusively that the mayor has raised $650,000 to pay for any legal bills. 

Adams’ team is set to file its first public report on the fundraising on Tuesday. 

In a statement, the trust’s counsel, Vito Pitta, said: “The Eric Adams Legal Defense Trust has drawn strong support in a short amount of time, raising more than $650,000 since it was formed just two months ago.” 

Adams created the fund in November after the home of his chief fundraiser for his 2021 campaign was raided by the FBI. The FBI subsequently seized the mayor’s phones and iPad. Adams has retained an attorney at the firm WilmerHale to represent him in connection with the investigation. The mayor has denied any wrongdoing and said his campaign has followed all campaign finance laws and regulations. He says his campaign is fully cooperating with the investigation. 

It is unclear if the mayor is the target of the investigation  which is examining, at least in part, whether foreign money from Turkey was funneled to his campaign.

Adams is the first city official to establish a legal trust under new regulations approved by the City Council in 2019 that strictly limit who officials can accept donations from. The legislation was sparked by Mayor de Blasio, who racked up serious legal bills in connection with a federal investigation into pay to play politics at City Hall during his tenure. 

The trust is not allowed to accept donations from anyone who has business with the city or anyone who has potential business with the city. The Adams team will file its first fundraising report with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board on Tuesday which will detail who contributed to his trust.