Eric Adams’s Lawyers Ask Judge to Dismiss Bribery Charge

Lawyers for Mayor Eric Adams asked a federal judge on Monday to throw out the bribery charge against him, providing an early glimpse at how the defense plans to attack the first federal indictment of a sitting mayor in modern New York City history.

In a 25-page filing, Mr. Adams’s lawyers argued that the accusations against the mayor did not meet the federal definition of bribery, pointing to a recent Supreme Court ruling that raised the bar for prosecutors to bring corruption cases.

The filing comes four days after federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced a five-count indictment against the mayor, including charges of bribery and fraud.

Prosecutors said Mr. Adams accepted luxury travel benefits worth more than $100,000, as well as illegal campaign contributions from Turkey — and granted political favors to Turkish officials in exchange for these gifts.