The New York mayor’s phone could reveal a “gold mine” for FBI corruption investigators, a former federal prosecutor has said.
Joyce Vance, now a legal analyst and writer, was reacting to news that Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on a charge of allegedly taking gifts from foreign donors. The New York Times reported on Wednesday night that Adams became the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to face a criminal indictment.
The indictment is still sealed, but The New York Times‘ report on Wednesday said that it includes alleged payments from Turkey and allegations that Adams lobbied to allow the Turkish consulate to construct a much larger building in New York. As part of the investigation, the FBI seized the mayor’s phone and iPad. Newsweek sought email comment from Adams’ office on Thursday.
“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target—and a target I became,” Adams said in a statement. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
In a prerecorded video statement, Adams added that he would “request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth.” He rejected calls to resign and asked residents for their prayers and patience.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends a news conference on November 14, 2023 in New York City. The New York Times has reported that he had been indicted in a wide-ranging FBI corruption investigation.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Speaking to Alex Wagner on MSNBC on Wednesday, Vance said that obtaining the mayor’s phone has given the FBI a real advantage.
“Phones are a gold mine, a real treasure trove for investigators that can help you develop linkages between individuals and events, as well as specific evidence that’s used to further a prosecution,” Vance said.
She added that the forensic investigators who look at phones are very thorough, and can recover data that has been deleted by the phone’s owner.
Vance said that the phone would be useful for obtaining addresses and patterns of communication between Adams and other people.
If the FBI then establishes probable cause, the agency can then get permission from a judge to obtain the mayor’s texts and other messages, Vance added.
In July, a federal subpoena was issued to obtain information from Adams, his campaign team and City Hall. It arrived eight months after FBI agents confiscated the mayor’s phones and iPad as he left a Manhattan event.
A number of top figures in the Adams administration have also been targeted in federal corruption investigations; agents confiscated the phones of the mayor’s schools chancellor, two deputy mayors and a senior adviser overseeing migrant shelter contracts this month.
Phones were also seized from former New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who said that he resigned his position on September 12 “for the good of this city.”
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Adams’ indictment “grew out of an investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Manhattan that began in 2021 and was focused at least in part on the possible foreign donations, and on whether Mr. Adams pressured officials in the Fire Department to sign off on the opening of a new high-rise consulate building for the Turkish government despite safety concerns.”
Vance said that the investigation “looks like a classic federal public corruption case” with several different branches.
She added that it was not that unusual for investigators to find new crimes as they are investigating and to open up new branches of investigations as they continue.
Vance said that the probe into Turkish payments appeared to involve “bribery or pay to play.” This is a term for paying money to be allowed to compete in a market.
