The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confiscated New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ electronic devices as part of its investigations into his political fundraising during his 2021 campaign.
According to reports, FBI agents approached Adams on the street and asked his security detail to step away. The bureau then provided the Democratic mayor with a warrant and took his devices — at least two phones and an iPad.
“On Monday night, the FBI approached the mayor after an event. The Mayor immediately complied with the FBI’s request and provided them with electronic devices,” Adams’ attorney, Boyd Johnson, said in a statement. “The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
This comes after an investigation was launched earlier this month over allegations that Adams allegedly accepted foreign donations during his 2021 political campaign.
The mayor’s top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, had her home in Brooklyn searched earlier this month. According to Suggs’ LinkedIn profile, she was a “Fundraiser and Director of Logistics” for the mayor’s campaign, from 2019 to 2021. She apparently raised a total of more than $18 million for Adams’ campaign.
Johnson said that an individual had recently “acted improperly” without specifically identifying who it was, adding that the person was ”immediately and proactively reported to investigators.”
While the specifics of the investigation are still unclear, the New York Times recently obtained a search warrant that shows that the authorities are looking into whether the Adams campaign received contributions from overseas sources and engaged in a conspiracy with the Turkish government.
One business under investigation is the Brooklyn-based KSK Construction Group, which reportedly has connections to a chain of hotels in Turkey.
In response to the allegations, Adams maintained his innocence and said that he is angry and outraged if “anyone attempted to use the campaign to manipulate our democracy and defraud our campaign.”
“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,” he said in an emailed statement. “I have nothing to hide.”
