NEW YORK (AP) — A Brooklyn real estate magnate, Erden Arkan, aged 76, pleaded guilty on Friday to participating in a scheme with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign contributions to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Arkan entered the plea to a conspiracy charge in Manhattan federal court, admitting that he knowingly violated the law by reimbursing employees of his construction firm for their donations to the Democrat’s campaign. “When I wrote the checks, I knew the Eric Adams campaign would use the checks to apply for public matching funds,” he told the judge.
Arkan is among numerous individuals implicated in a broad bribery and illegal campaign finance indictment filed against Adams in September. He is the first to plead guilty in a public proceeding. During Friday’s hearing, prosecutors informed Judge Dale E. Ho that they possessed a wealth of evidence, including recordings and emails, demonstrating Arkan’s collaboration with a Turkish consular official to facilitate the illegal straw donations.
Prosecutors alleged that Adams personally requested donations from Arkan and the Turkish official at an April 2021 dinner. Subsequently, in the following month, Arkan organized a fundraiser at the offices of his construction company, KSK, where 10 employees made donations ranging from $1,200 to $1,500 to the campaign. These employees were later reimbursed by Arkan, rendering the donations illegal straw contributions. Adams allegedly utilized these funds fraudulently to obtain public money under the city’s matching funds program, which offers a substantial match for small-dollar donations.
Following the court proceedings on Friday, Arkan and his attorney, Jonathan Rosen, opted not to provide any comments as they left the courtroom. Conversely, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Adams, stated that Arkan’s guilty plea would not impact the mayor’s case in any way.
Arkan, a well-known figure in New York’s Turkish community, first came to public attention in November 2023 when federal investigators conducted searches at his residence and the homes of Adams’ chief fundraiser and liaison to the Turkish community. Subsequently, Adams faced charges of accepting bribes in the form of luxury travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals seeking to leverage his influence for their benefit. The mayor has pleaded not guilty and expressed his determination to continue in office as he vigorously contests the charge. “I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” Adams stated.
Adams is scheduled to go on trial on April 21st, while Arkan is due to be sentenced in August.
