NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Eric Adams is seeking to move up the start of his trial on corruption and bribery charges so he can focus on his campaign for reelection this spring.
In a letter to the court obtained by 1010 WINS, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, wrote “An earlier trial date will ensure that Mayor Adams’s speedy trial rights are upheld, that the Mayor will be able to fully participate in his reelection campaign and that this City’s voters can be rid of the distraction of this misguided indictment as they hear from and evaluate the Democratic candidates for Mayor on their merits.”
Spiro requested the trial begin no later than April 1, 2025, so voters can focus on evaluating the mayoral candidates without the “distraction of this misguided indictment as they hear from and evaluate the Democratic
candidates for Mayor on their merits.”
He is expected to face a contested Democratic primary in June, with several opponents already announcing their interest in challenging him.
The court has yet to respond to the request for a rescheduled trial date.
In his letter on Monday, Spiro said he would waive access to certain discovery materials if it meant speeding up the date of the trial. Under the current schedule, he predicted a verdict would come in late May, giving the mayor only a short window of time to clear his name among voters.
“Given the realities of the news and election cycle, this earlier trial date is not only feasible, but essential here,” Spiro wrote.
U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho set the trial date as Adams returned to Manhattan federal court for a hearing on his bid to eliminate a key charge in the indictment that threatens his political future.
Ho had said early November that he's confident the April 21, 2025, date will hold, “assuming nothing unexpected comes up.”
At the same time, prosecutors said they still haven’t been able to crack a potentially crucial piece of evidence: Adams’ personal cellphone. According to his indictment, Adams changed his password just before giving the phone to authorities, then claimed he forgot it.
Adams’ lawyers are fighting to throw out a bribery charge, one of five counts against the first-term Democrat.
They argued the charge doesn’t meet the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently narrowed threshold for the crime and shouldn’t apply to Adams because it involves allegations dating to before he became mayor.
“The prosecutor for the United States had trouble defining what the ‘quo’ is here,” Adams’ lawyer John Bash argued, referring a “quid pro quo,” a Latin phrase meaning “something for something.”
Prosecutors countered that Adams’ lawyers were splitting hairs because, they allege, Adams was taking bribes and exerting influence while holding a prior elected office and as he anticipated becoming mayor.
Ho said he would take the arguments “under advisement and attempt to rule shortly.”
The indictment, which also includes wire fraud and conspiracy charges, accuses Adams of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel perks valued at $100,000 along with illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence.
In exchange, prosecutors say, Adams performed favors benefiting the Turkish government, including pressuring the fire department in 2021 to approve the opening of a consulate that it deemed unsafe.
Adams held a different elected position at the time, Brooklyn borough president, but by then it was clear that he would become mayor.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges and vowed to remain in office as he mounts his legal defense.
Bash argued the alleged perks don’t meet the legal definition of bribery because they predate his time as mayor and have “nothing to do with his governmental position.”
Adams’ lawyers contend prosecutors are seeking to criminalize “normal and perfectly lawful acts” that Adams undertook as Brooklyn borough president before he was elected mayor.
Under the law, prosecutors must show that Adams took bribes in exchange for using his official office to exert influence.
Prosecutors disclosed that they’ve searched through nearly two-dozen electronic devices seized in the investigation but still haven’t been able to access Adams’ cellphone and aren’t sure they will.
Several of Adams’ closest aides — including his police commissioner, schools chancellor and multiple deputy mayors — have resigned in recent months after federal investigators executed coordinated searches of their homes in early September.
Adams has maintained that he can continue to lead the city effectively while fighting the charges.But his political future remains fraught and several opponents have announced plans to challenge him in next year’s mayoral primary.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.