Manhattan federal prosecutors subpoenaed Mayor Adams, his election committee and his City Hall office last month as part of their investigation into whether Turkey’s government pumped illegal donations into his 2021 campaign coffers, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily News late Thursday.
The new batch of grand jury subpoenas mark the latest escalation in the probe led by prosecutors in Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams’ office.
In November, FBI agents working on the investigation stopped the mayor in the street and seized his cellphones, a dramatic move that came days after feds raided the homes of multiple individuals connected to him, including Brianna Suggs, his chief political fundraiser, and Rana Abbasova, a longtime Adams aide who used to serve as his liaison to local Turkish diaspora communities.
The new subpoenas, which include one targeting the mayor directly, are seeking additional similar information to what has already been swept up in the probe, like text messages and bank account information, said the source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Adams has not been publicly accused of any wrongdoing.
According to the New York Times, which first reported the latest subpoenas, they also seek information about the mayor’s travels and campaign fundraising. Beyond the mayor, The Times reported the subpoenas are likely to sweep in information from people who worked on Adams’ 2021 campaign and have since been appointed to serve in positions at City Hall.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the feds investigating the mayor have zeroed in on his multiple trips to the Middle Eastern country as well as a batch of donations to his 2021 campaign from executives of a Brooklyn-based construction company owned by Turkish nationals. Other issues under scrutiny include the mayor’s effort to help resolve fire safety violations at Turkey’s consulate in Manhattan as well as his reportedly accepting free upgrades on Turkish Airlines flights.
Brendan McGuire, the mayor’s former chief counsel at City Hall who now serves as his lead attorney in the federal probe, said Adams, his campaign and his office “are in the process of responding to the recently issued subpoenas.”
McGuire also said that he and other lawyers at WilmerHale, the law firm where he’s a partner, have since November “conducted our own investigation of the areas we understand the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been reviewing.”
“Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,” McGuire said in a statement. “To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the mayor. To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the U.S. Attorney.”
A spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment.
As first reported by The News earlier this year, a federal grand jury has been reviewing evidence as part of the investigation into the mayor’s 2021 campaign at least since June.
After that report, Lisa Zornberg, Adams’ chief counsel at City Hall, told reporters “subpoenas are served all the time” during federal investigations.
“They’re a tool to gather evidence,” she said at the time.
The source familiar with the new subpoenas confirmed they were issued by a federal grand jury.
Federal grand juries have the power to both issue subpoenas for records and testimony and can bring indictments as well.
It remains unclear whether the probe into the mayor’s campaign and its Turkey ties will result in any charges.
Asked for comment on the new subpoenas, Fabien Levy, Adams’ spokesman at City Hall, said the mayor remains committed to cooperate with the investigation.
“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has been clear over the last nine months that he will cooperate with any investigation underway,” Levy said. “Nothing has changed. He expects everyone to cooperate to swiftly bring this investigation to a close.”
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