Lawyers for embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams are seeking sanctions against the Justice Department, accusing it of illegally leaking information about the investigation into the Big Apple boss to mainstream media.
His lawyers say the leak spanned about a year and continued until the day before the charges, which sources confirmed to Fox News and other media outlets, were made public.
“In fact, the day before the indictment was unsealed and even before the mayor's attorney was notified of the indictment— new york times The mayor was “indicted in a federal corruption investigation, a person familiar with the matter said.”[f]Federal prosecutors were expected to release further details on Thursday,” Adams' attorney Abi Perry said in court documents released Tuesday.
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Mayor Eric Adams and attorney Alex Spiro speak to the media outside the federal courthouse in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)
Hours before the Times report, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of New York City, called on Adams to resign.
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Because grand jury proceedings are secret, only a handful of people were able to learn about the mayor's indictment before it was unsealed last week, Perry wrote. That includes members of the grand jury itself, court officials, and prosecutors at the Department of Justice.
“But among them, the prosecution team was probably the only one who knew of the government's plan to release additional details the next day (as they did in a self-congratulatory press conference),” Perry continued. “Therefore, it is clear that the prosecution team is responsible for the leak.”
They are seeking a hearing on the alleged misconduct and appropriate consequences, with the long-term goal of getting the charges dismissed.
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New York City police officers stand outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, September 26, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
If convicted on all charges in an indictment that experts describe as a mere “opening salvo,” Mr. Adams could face up to 45 years in prison. Investigations are ongoing against numerous city officials and campaign aides, and further charges may be filed.
Adams' team repeatedly urged prosecutors to “close the leak,” to no avail, according to the filing. They are now asking the court to hold a hearing on the matter.
Mayor Eric Adams holds a press conference at City Hall on November 21, 2023. (Luis C. Ribeiro, NY Daily News, via Getty Images)
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The mayor also characterized the investigation as retaliation for criticism of the Biden-Harris administration's border policies.
Adams previously blamed the White House for overburdening the White House shelter system during New York City's immigration crisis. City police said earlier this year that the influx of illegal immigrants coincided with a spike in robberies in the Big Apple.
