In a Tuesday legal filing, Mayor Eric Adams’ attorneys charged that federal prosecutors improperly leaked to the media the identity of a witness who testified before a grand jury and the content of their testimony in the criminal corruption case against the mayor.
Hizzoner’s attorney, Alex Spiro, requested that federal Judge Dale Ho hold an evidentiary hearing on the latest leaks. Spiro further asked the judge to halt all grand jury proceedings until the hearing is held and his motion is resolved. He also once again called for the court to impose sanctions on federal prosecutors “up to and including dismissal of the indictment.”
Spiro attempted to get Ho to sanction federal prosecutors for allegedly passing information to the media in a past motion. But Ho denied the motion in late October.
Last week, Judge Ho also rejected Spiro’s attempt to get the bribery charge against Adams tossed.
Spiro argued this was just the latest in a series of evidence leaks in the case over the past year, which he said have worked to turn public opinion against Adams before the mayor has had the chance to stand trial.
“The government’s disclosure of confidential grand jury material in a bid to win this case in the press has irreparably harmed Mayor Adams’s defense and eviscerated his presumption of innocence,” Spiro wrote in the filing.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a requst for comment.
The mayor’s attorney claimed that a “credible source” informed him Sunday that grand jury information from a witness who recently testified in Adams’ case had been given to a group of New York Times reporters. The information, Spiro wrote, includes both the witness’s identity — which is redacted in the filing — and the “sum and substance of that witness’s testimony.”
While some portions of the motion are redacted, presumably to keep the details of the witness’s testimony confidential, Spiro insisted the leaks had to have come from federal law enforcement and not the witness themself.
“Defense counsel has no reason to believe the witness was the source of the leak because, on information and belief,” Spiro wrote. “Rather, as with the prior leaked material, the only plausible source of this information is members of law enforcement assisting with the investigation.”
Since the indictment against Adams was unveiled on Sept. 26, Spiro has consistently raised concerns about the leaks and alleged that the information could have only come from federal law enforcement.
He has vented about press reports that revealed details of the investigation into Adams, which have steadily been published over the past year — beginning with the late 2023 raid on the mayor’s former campaign fundraiser.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the five charges against him, which include bribery and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
The mayor is accused of accepting luxury travel perks—like discounted hotel rooms and flight upgrades—and campaign donations from Turkish businessmen and government officials for nearly a decade. In return, Adams allegedly leaned on the FDNY in 2021, when he was still Brooklyn borough president, to hasten the opening of a Manhattan Turkish consulate skyscraper that had failed fire safety tests.
Mayor Adams will stand trial on April 21; his next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 27.
