The lawyer who represented Mayor Eric Adams in his landmark federal corruption case has joined the Turkish transportation app's board of directors, the company announced Friday.
Alex Spiro was elected to the board of directors of Maruti Technologies, Turkey's “leading mobility super app,” at its 2024 annual general meeting. According to the press release.
Mr. Spiro, who is also based in Istanbul while representing Adams in New York, is accused of accepting bribes from Turkish nationals in exchange for expedited building inspections of the Turkish consulate's new building in Manhattan's Turtle Bay neighborhood. Join the ride-hailing app that does.
Spiro did not immediately respond to the Post's request for comment Wednesday, nor did City Hall.
Spiro, a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, said in a press release that he is excited to support the Turkish company's management team.
“We are excited to support them and the company as they scale and achieve profitability in 2025,” Spiro said.
This celebrity lawyer is known for representing high-profile clients from Alec Baldwin to Jay-Z.
“I have been fortunate to work with some of the world's greatest entrepreneurs and companies,” Spiro said in a statement after the board was selected.
Adams is accused of receiving more than $100,000 in Turkish Airlines flight upgrades and hotel upgrades during his frequent visits to Istanbul over a five-year period.
Federal authorities also said Adams received fake “straw donations” from Turkish citizens for the mayor's 2021 campaign and used the illegal donations to receive $10 million in taxpayer-funded matching campaign funds. He was accused of having acquired it.
Prosecutors say that in exchange for lavish perks and donations, Mr. Adams pressured the FDNY to allow the consulate building, known as the Turkey House, to open even though it had failed fire safety inspections. claims.
Mr. Hitzoner has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and refused to resign amid the allegations. He has pleaded not guilty and said he plans to fight the charges in court next year.
“It takes a lot of discipline not to say anything when you haven't done anything wrong,” Adams said in August when asked about the investigation into the mayor's race.
Erden Alkan, the Turkish-born owner of Williamsburg's KSK Construction Group, is expected to plead guilty in a corruption case for allegedly showering Mr. Adams with illegal straw donations, federal officials announced Monday.
