NY1 has learned that Mayor Eric Adams has raised more than $700,000 to cover the cost of his legal fees associated with a federal investigation into his 2021 campaign.
Adams created a legal defense fund in November following the FBI raid on his top fundraiser’s home. Federal authorities later seized the mayor’s phones and iPad.
It is unclear if he is a target in the investigation, and the mayor has repeatedly said he is cooperating with authorities.
That probe is centered on whether foreign money was funneled to the mayor’s campaign.
Adams' first fundraising report was filed on Tuesday with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, detailing who contributed to the legal trust. The report reveals 227 people donated.
So far, according to the filing, the mayor has spent nearly $450,000 — the vast majority on legal fees.
“People have known me for years, from my days of being a police officer, state Senate, borough president, and now the mayor,” he said on Tuesday. “And you sometimes don’t realize how people appreciate your life of service, from wearing that bullet-proof vest to being the mayor of the city. So I just thank those New Yorkers who responded.”
That includes some big names, like former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Bloomberg’s top advisor, Howard Wolfson, sent NY1 this statement in response: “Mike thinks it’s in the city’s interest for Mayor Adams to succeed, and it’s not in the city’s interest for him to be distracted.”
Adams got cash from crypto entrepreneur Brock Pierce. And from Ukrainian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik.
A spokesperson for Blavatnik said he contributed to Adams because of his support for Israel.
Adams also received cash from some names in real estate, including the Gindi family, which is slated to redevelop the space around Century 21 in Brooklyn, and real estate developer and MTA board member David Mack.