FBI focuses on Eric Adams' Turkish Airlines business class violations

Metro

by larry cerona and craig mccarthy

The FBI is investigating business class upgrades he received on Turkish Airlines as part of a federal investigation into Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign finances, a law enforcement official confirmed Friday.

Federal authorities have been looking at Adams' overnight stays on international flights since his time as Brooklyn mayor and since he took office in January 2022, the people said.

Mr. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing. His focus on travel was revealed in November as part of a larger investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors into allegations that the Turkish government illegally funneled money to Adams' campaign.

At least three people associated with the Adamses have had their homes searched by federal authorities as part of the investigation, including Cenk Okal, a former Turkish Airlines executive who worked on the mayor's interim team; This includes Rana Abbasova, an assistant government official.

The New York Times first reported that the mayor's attorney, Brendan McGuire, denied any wrongdoing by Adams and told the Post there was no malice in accepting the upgrade.

“As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed that he had made official trips to Turkey, that he had not received any inappropriate upgrades, and that he had not done anything inappropriate in exchange for upgrades,” McGuire said. “Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a fair and timely conclusion to this investigation.”

As Brooklyn's borough president, Adams flew Turkish Airlines numerous times during six trips to the Middle Eastern country, but it's unclear how many upgrades he received.

As mayor, Adams has visited Greece and Qatar (countries the airline flies from JFK and connects in Istanbul), but it is unclear whether he used the airline during those trips in 2022. Ta.

Calls to the Southern District of New York and City Hall went unanswered.

The FBI declined to comment.

Adams' relationship with the airline, half of which is owned by the Turkish government's sovereign wealth fund, dates back to 2015, when he was mayor of Brooklyn.

At the time, Adams and his aides traveled to Turkey on airline revenue twice every four months as part of their official duties for the borough to meet with local officials and discuss a sister city agreement, the Times reported. It is said that

The trip, revealed in emails obtained by the newspaper, came after meeting with Turkish Airlines executives at the time as part of an official roundtable arranged by Abbasova, who was then Brooklyn's liaison to the Turkish community. It was conducted. .

Two years later, during his fifth visit to Turkey, Mr. Adams praised the airline in a pro-Turkish government publication, saying, “Turkish Airlines is my way of flying,” and purchased a location in Istanbul. He told the media about his plans.

Adams wasn't shy about his love for Türkiye. The mayor boasted about his ties to the country during a flag raising in October, ahead of the Turkish Republic's 100th anniversary and just days before the FBI raid.

“I think I'm the only mayor in the history of this city to not only visit Turkey once, but probably for the sixth or seventh time,” Adams said.

The high-profile federal investigation came to light on Nov. 2, when the FBI searched Brianna Suggs, Adams' top campaign fundraiser, and the mayor weighed in on New York City's ongoing immigration crisis. He suddenly had to return home from Washington, D.C., where he was scheduled to meet with the White House. .

Over the next few days, law enforcement stopped the mayor on the street and confiscated his cellphone and other digital devices, an unusual move by federal authorities.

City Hall later reported Abbasova, then the mayor's director of international affairs and protocols, to authorities for “inappropriate behavior” during the election campaign.

The FBI also searched Abbasova's and Okal's homes in early November, but the details of the search were not made public until several weeks later.

Neither Abbasova, Okal nor the campaign have been accused of wrongdoing.