Brooklyn Real Estate Mogul with Turkish Ties to Plead Guilty in First Guilty Plea of Eric Adams Corruption Case

Dec 23, 2024, 07:56 PM

A Brooklyn real estate mogul, Erden Arkan, plans to plead guilty to charges related to a corruption case involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Arkan, a Turkish-born businessman and owner of KSK Construction Group, is accused of orchestrating illegal 'straw donations' to Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign at the direction of a Turkish official, Reyhan Özgür. These donations were allegedly made to secure political favors, including expediting the opening of a Turkish consulate and receiving free or discounted travel on Turkish Airlines flights. Arkan's plea marks the first guilty plea in the case against Adams, who has denied any wrongdoing and is set to stand trial in April during his re-election campaign. Adams' legal team has argued that the mayor was unaware of any quid pro quo bribery or straw donor schemes, and they have criticized the federal case against him as an 'egregious overreach' by prosecutors.