NYC Mayor Eric Adams Says He’s Not Being Accused Of ‘Wrongdoing’ After FBI Seizes His Phone In Campaign Finance Probe

On Friday, the FBI seized the phone and tablet of New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), looking for information regarding alleged illegal campaign donations. 

The move came one day after the FBI raided the home of Brianna Suggs, a campaign consultant who worked for Adams.

The federal officials issued the warrant to determine whether donations made by KSK Construction Group, a construction group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Turkish nationals made an illegal donation. 

KSK donated roughly $14,000 to the mayor’s 2021 campaign. 

The donations under investigation occurred while Adams was Brooklyn borough president. The FBI is looking into whether Adams illegally pressured city agencies on behalf of the Turkish government.

“As a Borough President, part of my routine role was to notify government agencies of issues on behalf of constituents and constituencies. I have not been accused of wrongdoing and I will continue to cooperate with investigators,” Adams said in a statement.

The agents arrived at Suggs’ Brooklyn home Thursday morning. Suggs was there at the time of the search but she has not been arrested. 

Adams returned to New York from a Washington, D.C., conference on the migrant crisis he was attending to “address a matter.”

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levey said, “The mayor heard of an issue related to the campaign and takes these issues seriously, so he wanted to get back to New York as quickly as possible. He plans to return to D.C. and reschedule these meetings as soon as he can.”

Suggs raised an estimated $18.4 million for Adams’s 2021 campaign and about $900,000 that will go towards his 2025 reelection. 

“I feel extremely comfortable about how I comply with rules and procedures,” he told reporters. “I’ve stated this over and over again. I hold myself to a high standard, I hold my campaign to a high standard and I hold my staffers at City Hall to a high standard.”