Lawyers for Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday accused the Justice Department of leaking sensitive case information and asked a judge to investigate, saying the disclosures have made it impossible for the New York City official to get a fair trial.
"For nearly a year, the government has leaked grand jury material and other sensitive information to the media to aggrandize itself, further its investigation, and unfairly prejudice the defendant, Mayor Eric Adams," Alex Spiro, the mayor's attorney, wrote in a federal court filing obtained by Politico.
In the document, Spiro openly accused the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York of being the source of the leaks and divulging information related to charges that Adams allegedly accepted airline upgrades and illegal campaign contributions from people tied to Turkey in exchange for pushing the New York City Fire Department to rush a safety inspection for the new Turkish Consulate in Manhattan.
The conduct in question dates back to after the mayor had won the Democratic mayoral primary in 2021.
Adams was indicted on Thursday and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday.
If the judge would hold a hearing to pinpoint the source of the leaks, Spiro said remedies could be applied, including the suppression of certain evidence at trial or a dismissal of the case entirely.
In a letter obtained by Politico, other lawyers retained by Adams complained to federal prosecutors about the havoc the press coverage of the DOJ's probe was wreaking on Adams' reelection campaign.
"Unfortunately, there can be no question that the leaks have already influenced next year's mayoral election," Brendan McGuire and Boyd Johnson wrote in a June letter. "If they continue, they have the potential to fundamentally compromise the Mayor's reelection candidacy."
Politico reported that McGuire and Johnson did not blame the Southern District in New York directly, while Spiro unequivocally pointed the finger at the office as part of his aggressive defense strategy.
On Monday, Spiro filed a motion to dismiss the bribery charge against Adams, arguing that it is "extraordinarily vague" and was brought by "zealous prosecutors ... casting about" for something to bolster their criminal case.
Adams, a former police captain who swept into office as a champion of law and order, faces five counts in total: one count each of wire fraud, bribery, and conspiracy, and two counts of receiving campaign contributions from a foreign national.
Federal prosecutors said he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of wire fraud, the most serious charge.