Hizzoner’s legal team demanded a court hearing to probe supposed leaks they claim came from federal agents and prosecutors involved in the bombshell indictment against the first-term Big Apple leader.
“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,” the attorneys wrote in the newly filed motion.
A grand jury handed down a five-count indictment against Adams last week, accusing the 64-year-old pol of accepting bribes in exchange for favors, raking in illegal straw donations and defrauding the city out of $10 million in public campaign funds.
Adams’ legal team argued in Tuesday’s motion that federal authorities have whispered developments tied to the investigation to news outlets over the last year in an attempt to muddy up their client.
The defense pointed to a series of articles on the probe published by the New York Times between last November and last week as evidence that the feds were allegedly providing information to news outlets in violation of the law.
The Times stories cited unnamed sources and Adams’ legal team claims the information reported by the newspaper could have only come from federal authorities.
“The prejudice from these leaks has been severe,” Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro and company wrote. “A cascade of critical articles based on one-sided, misleading leaks by the government has eroded public support for the Mayor long before he was ever charged with a crime and able to defend himself in court.”
As the investigation raged on, Adams’ lawyers stated they wrote to the government in June and August to request an internal probe into the leaks, but were ignored.
When the defense raised the issue in a late August phone call, prosecutors again dismissed concerns, according to the court docs.
Adams’ legal camp wants District Judge Dale Ho to schedule an evidentiary hearing to “investigate the leaks in this case and impose meaningful consequences.”
If it’s determined that federal officials spilled confidential information, the possible ramifications should include the judge dismissing the case, tossing evidence or forcing agents as well as prosecutors to step aside and not be involved in the case, his lawyers argued.
“The remedies imposed after an evidentiary hearing should be commensurate with the severity of the leaks, up to and including dismissal where prejudice is established,” Adams’ legal team wrote.
The latest argument comes as part of a legal offensive Adams’ lawyers have launched this week against the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office as their client fights for his political life.
“The remedies imposed after an evidentiary hearing should be commensurate with the severity of the leaks, up to and including dismissal where prejudice is established,” Adams’ legal team wrote.
Spiro argued Monday that the bribery charge against Adams should be tossed, claiming the gifts Turkish bigwigs showered on Hizzoner were not bribes but typical perks for politicians.
He also called the entire case “meritless.”
Adams, an ex-NYPD cop, has denied the charges against him and has made clear he has no plan to step down from office despite growing calls for his resignation.
Advertisement