Charges against the mayor of New York. Is the businessman from Uzbekistan involved in this?

Eric Adams, the mayor of the city of New York in the United States of America, was accused of taking bribes and soliciting illegal donations from abroad for his election campaign at the end of September this year. He is the first New York mayor in modern history to be charged with a crime. QALAMPIR.UZ got acquainted with the 57-page indictment of his criminal case.

Who is Eric Adams?

Eric Leroy Adams, the second black mayor in the city's history, is the city's 110th mayor overall. His father was a butcher and his mother was a cook. Born in Brooklyn, Adams graduated from the New York Police Academy in 1984 and spent 22 years in the city police force. Adams rose to the rank of captain in the police force. Adams won the New York mayoral election on November 4, 2021. He received 66.14 percent of votes (676 thousand 481 people). On January 1, 2022, he took up the post of mayor. In doing so, he became the city's second African-American leader.

Almost 3 years after taking office as mayor, Adams faces federal charges that could seriously jeopardize his office and threaten the future of his political career. Corruption scandals had previously led to the resignation of two New York City mayors: James Walker in 1932 and William O'Dwyer in 1950. But Adams is the city's first mayor to be indicted while in office.

What is the mayor accused of?

Adams faces 5 separate criminal charges. Including bribery, soliciting illegal donations from abroad, fraud, receiving luxury trips and lavish gifts from wealthy foreign businessmen and Turkish government officials. On September 26, New York's Southern District Attorney General Damian Williams revealed that the mayor solicited and received illegal foreign and corporate contributions to his campaign funds, as well as accepted more than $100,000 in expensive travel incentives from foreign businessmen and officials. The prosecutor released a list of luxury travel benefits the mayor received between 2016 and 2021, including airline and luxury hotel rooms.

The indictment also details Adams' nearly decade of corrupt administration, from his time as Brooklyn borough manager to his tenure as mayor. It alleges that Adams solicited and accepted illegal campaign contributions from Turkish businessmen and government officials, and received lavish gifts and foreign donations in exchange for political gains. According to prosecutors, Adams pressured New York City Fire Department officials to sign off on construction of a new high-rise building for the Turkish Consulate General in Manhattan, despite security concerns, ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit in 2021.

Eric Adams benefits from using his position

Prosecutors said Adams' luxury travel spree began with two trips to Turkey in 2015, where he received free business class tickets. Although Adams reported those trips to the New York Conflict of Interest Board, he did not disclose subsequent trips, including those paid for by Turkish businessmen.

By 2016, Adams had established a comfortable relationship with Turkish Airlines, which is 49 percent owned by the Turkish government. During 2016 and 2017, Adams and his partners took free flights around the world to India, Sri Lanka, China, Nepal and France. During the trip to these countries, they further upgraded the business class. According to estimates, that means more than $63,000 in free and discounted travel.

According to the indictment, Adams flew on Turkish Airlines even under inconvenient circumstances, such as when flying from New York to Paris. According to a text message with his partner, the first stop for the mayor was always the city of Istanbul.

It is said that during this period, Adams in the luxurious St. Staying at a discounted rate at the Regis Hotel, he paid only a few hundred dollars for a suite that would normally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a night. His trips often include private yacht cruises, luxury cars, and the most expensive meals at high-end restaurants. All this was made easier by the mayor's connections with Turkish officials. His lavish trips continued in 2019 and 2021 – after his mayoral victory.

Money bet on the mayor's election campaign

Adams is also accused of orchestrating a scheme to use New York City's Matching Funds Program, which was designed to match small campaign donations with state funds. The program includes donations from foreign nationals, that is, individuals who transfer money in someone else's name to hide its true source. Prosecutors also gave several examples in this regard.

In November 2018, Adams met with the wealthy founder of Bogchashehir University at Borough Hall in Brooklyn. After the mayor offered to spend money on his 2021 election campaign, the owner of the university appointed an "employee" named Rano Abbasova in charge of coordinating the illegal contributions. Abbasova wrote that she was ready to help Adams' representatives.

In December 2020, two volunteers of the Adams campaign asked an Uzbek businessman to donate $10,000 to the campaign, saying that this donation would affect Adams. Because the businessman couldn't write a $10,000 check directly, and because it couldn't be matched by public funds, he told his employees to make several $2,000 contributions to the mayor's campaign. These illegal donations were later matched with public funds.

Who is the Uzbek businessman who gave money for the election campaign of the mayor of New York?

According to the investigative documents, the person referred to as "Businessman-4" may be Talib Mansurov, an Uzbek businessman. If you look at the social network LinkedIn, you can find out on his page that Mansurov is the founder and CEO of United Elite Group, located in New York City, as well as a high-level general contractor. He studied at Omsk State University in Russia in 1997-2002. It was also noted that Mansurov is a "strong business development specialist with a master's degree in law from Omsk State University." The business is also listed as having licenses issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the New York City Department of Buildings, and the Department of Consumer and Labor Protection.

The official page of United Elite Group, owned by Mansurov, says that the organization has been known for more than 12 years in the New York City area as an organization with experience in quality interior renovation of residential buildings.

What connects Adams and Mansurov?

According to the landmark 57-page federal indictment that charged the mayor with bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy, Businessman 4 "operated a construction company in the New York City area."

In addition to running his United Elite Group construction firm, Talib Mansurov is the founder of the Brooklyn-based non-profit organization Silk Road Foundation, which serves Uzbeks in New York and the wider Central Asian community.

In the indictment, it is said that "Businessman-4" and its employees gave money to the mayor of the city under the guise of charity in December 2020. A representative of Eric Adams assured that such "fake donations" would increase the businessman's influence on the mayor.

According to the indictment, "Businessman-4", who wanted to show a favor to Mayor Adams, offered to write a check in the amount of 10,000 US dollars from his personal bank account. However, Adams' staff told him they could not donate more than $2,000. Then "Businessman-4" paid on behalf of himself and 4 employees. According to the indictment, Mansurov contacted Adams and wrote to him, "I have always supported you."

When Mansurov contacted the mayor directly on February 5, 2023, asking for help in removing restrictions placed by the Department of Buildings on work being done by Mansurov's construction firm, he reminded Adams of the financial support he provided to his campaign.

The timing of the donations coincides with the time frame alleged in the indictment, which alleges that Businessman 4 was instructed by an Adams representative to direct illegal campaign donations through employees.

According to the election campaign financing data, those included in the list of United Elite Group employees and who donated $2,000 each are Natan Ho, Oybek Shokirov, Sherzod Kamolov and Umid Vahidov.

In addition to working in the company, Shokirov also works as an accountant at the Silk Road Foundation. In addition, on December 11, 2023, Shakirov donated $5,000 to the mayor's legal defense fund.

Mansurov's Silk Road Foundation has strengthened relations with the city hall. In July 2023, Adams held a roundtable discussion at City Hall to hear the foundation's views on the Uzbek community. In August of this year, Adams participated in the flag-raising ceremony in honor of Uzbekistan's independence under the auspices of the foundation. At the ceremony, the mayor used the description "New York - Tashkent of America".

In April 2023, the mayor of New York attended an iftar dinner sponsored by the foundation at Emir Palace in Brooklyn. Also, such an event was held in March of this year, and Eric Adams also took part in it.

According to prosecutors, later Mansurov and his employees were interrogated in the presence of lawyers. During the interrogation, he admitted his involvement in the case related to the transfer of money in the form of "fake donations" to the election campaign of Eric Adams. He also testified in another unrelated fraud case.

Journalists of "Documented" tried several times to contact Talib Mansurov and 4 employees of "United Elite Group", but it was not possible. Vahidov and Kamolov were said not to live in the United States, while Natan Ho refused to answer questions about the fake donations.

Is anyone else under investigation?

Adams' police and health commissioners Edward Caban and Ashwin Vasan, schools superintendent David Banks, and general counsel Lisa Zornberg resigned amid the widening federal probe. Caban's phone was seized on September 12 as part of a federal investigation, and he was forced to resign. A few days later, Zornberg, the city's chief attorney, resigned, saying he was "no longer able to serve effectively." A week later, Banks announced he was stepping down as superintendent of the nation's largest public school system and retiring at the end of the school year, days after federal investigators searched his home and seized his cell phones under a federal search warrant.

Federal investigators also seized the cellphones of Adams' closest advisers, including Philip Banks III, the mayor's deputy for public safety, and Sheena Wright, the mayor's first deputy. Officers raided the homes of some of these councilors.

The first sign that federal authorities were investigating people close to Adams came in November 2023, when agents searched the home of one of his top fundraisers, Brianna Saggs.

What does it mean to be accused?

According to the US Department of Justice, an indictment is the process by which a person receives formal notice of a crime. An indictment informs a person of the charges against him. This happens after a grand jury has examined all possible evidence to determine whether a crime was committed. If the jury finds the evidence sufficient, an indictment will be issued. In this case, it will take several days for the mayor to hand over power. Adams said that he would not leave his post and that he put the people of the city above party and politics.

How did the American public react to the indictment?

Since the indictment, numerous politicians have called for Adams to resign. Specifically, at least 10 members of the New York City Council and several other lawmakers, including Council members Carmen de la Rosa, Tiffany Caban, and Robert Holden, said he should step down.

Can he be forced to resign?

According to the law of the country, the governor of New York State, Kathy Hokul, has the right to suspend the mayor of New York for up to 30 days. But the state governor's power to replace New York's mayor has not been exercised recently. The most recent precedent was in 1931 when Governor Franklin Roosevelt held 14 days of hearings into the misconduct of Mayor James Walker, who had resigned in 1932. Therefore, it is unknown whether Hokul uses this power or not.

If Adams decides to step down before the end of his term, which runs until December 2025, Jumaan Williams, the city's public defender, will become acting mayor and a special election will be held. This election could feature several candidates, some of whom have already announced their intention to run against Adams in next year's Democratic primary. The next general election is scheduled to be held on November 4, 2025.