Northeast

Eric Adams defense hinges on Supreme Court ruling in heartland trucking case

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

Press Room

Eric Adams defense hinges on Supreme Court ruling in heartland trucking case

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Months after the Supreme Court sided with an Indiana mayor who took payment from a Peterbilt dealer in a small-town bribery case, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is relying on the precedent as he revs up the fight against his own federal corruption charges.

But some experts say the effort may run out of gas before it picks up speed.

Federal prosecutors rely on a law known as Section 666 to take down corrupt officials who accept bribes, but they have also been accused of trying to blur the definition of a bribe. They also have to prove an “official act” took place in exchange for whatever the allegedly corrupt politician was raking in.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS PLEDGES TO ‘REIGN’ NOT RESIGN

Mayor Eric Adams, right, is shown beside his lawyer, Alex Spiro, on the day of his arraignment outside federal court in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)

In 2016, the Justice Department filed corruption charges against James Snyder, former Republican mayor of Portage, Indiana, under the Section 666 rule.

He oversaw a $1.1 million deal to buy garbage trucks for the city from Great Lakes Peterbilt in 2013, according to court filings. In 2014, he received a $13,000 check from the dealership.

The FBI and federal prosecutors accused him of taking the money as a kickback for the truck sales. Snyder said it was payment for consulting services in a state where public officials are allowed to have outside employment.

Former Portage Mayor James Snyder and his family arrive at federal court in Hammond for his sentencing on Oct. 13, 2021. He later succeeded in his appeal to the Supreme Court. (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

He was convicted at trial, but his legal saga continued for years. After successfully seeking a retrial, he wound up convicted again and then lost his first appeal.

But in a 6-3 opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, explaining that anti-bribery laws don’t make all payments illegal, especially if they come after the fact without any evidence of a corrupt agreement.

Read Eric Adams’ latest court filing:

FEDS SEIZE ERIC ADAMS’ PHONE AFTER NYC MAYOR’S INDICTMENT

Snyder accepted a “gratuity,” not a bribe, the court found.

The court described gratuities as two forms of payment, neither of which met the definition of a bribe. The first is something given as a “thanks,” anything from a fancy lunch to a framed photograph. The second are gifts designed to “curry favor” but not in exchange for anything specific.

In a dissent by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s liberal wing countered that there was still evidence of corruption that would have made Snyder’s payment unlawful. Kavanaugh wrote that the gratuities were not a federal crime but could still violate state and local ethics rules. Snyder was not accused of any crimes at the state level.

ADAMS’ OFFICE LASHES OUT AT FBI EMPLOYEE WHO MIGHT HAVE ‘IMPROPERLY LEAKED DETAILS’ OF CORRUPTION PROBE

New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives at federal court for his arraignment in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 27, 2024. Adams faces five federal charges, including alleged conspiracy, wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

Kavanaugh also warned that if a federal law did crack down on gratuities, it could unlawfully infringe on states’ right to regulate interactions between their own officials and constituents.

Adams’ lawyers are arguing that the mayor never accepted any bribes and never took any actions in his official capacity to make good on a quid quo pro.

Anthony Capozzolo, a former federal prosecutor who handled public corruption cases in a neighboring district, said prosecutors clearly spelled out the alleged quid quo pro in Adams’ indictment but that the mayor could have a better chance proving he made no “official act.”

“This issue about him not being the mayor at the time, and what is the official act? That may get more scrutiny from the court,” Capozzolo told Fox News Digital.

Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, wrote in the motion Monday that prosecutors failed to lay out an actual bribery case.

Mayor Eric Adams sits in federal court beside his lawyer, Alex Spiro, during his arraignment in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

“The indictment in this case alleges a ‘bribery’ scheme that does not meet the definition of bribery and indeed does not amount to a federal crime at all,” Spiro wrote in a court filing revealed Monday.

“It appears that after years of casting about for something, anything, to support a federal charge against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, prosecutors had settled on a theory that depended on the Department’s longstanding view that Section 666 criminalizes gratuities, including gifts meant to curry favor with governmental officials but not linked to any specific question or matter,” Spiro wrote. “When the Supreme Court rejected that interpretation in June, prosecutors simply added a few vague allegations and called their theory bribery — ‘a far more serious offense than gratuities.’”

Adams’ defense argued that the Justice Department’s case “doesn’t work.”

“The indictment does not allege that Mayor Adams agreed to perform any official act at the time that he received a benefit. Rather, it alleges only that while serving as Brooklyn Borough President—not Mayor, or even Mayor-elect—he agreed generally to assist with the ‘operation’ or ‘regulation’ of a Turkish Consulate building in Manhattan, where he had no authority whatsoever, in exchange for travel benefits,” Spiro wrote.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams (U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York)

At issue are three text messages that prosecutors say Adams, during a past term as Brooklyn’s borough president, sent to the former FDNY commissioner, Daniel Nigro. But there is additional context and conversations surrounding the texts that may convince the court they are less innocent than they sound when read alone, Capozzolo said.

Eric Adams texts to FDNY commissioner:

“They said they needed a letter of Defect from FDNY to DOB (Department of Buildings). They know they have some issues but according to them with the letter the DOB wi[ll] give the TCO (temporary certificate of occupancy).”
“They really need someone . . . by today if possible. If it is [im]possible please let me know and I will manage their expectation.”
“They said the hire (sic) ups at FDNY did not give the inspector authorization to come. The inspector indicated he needs authority to come to day (sic).”

Spiro asked the court to dismiss the bribery charge due to the Snyder precedent and argued that the rest of the charges should get tossed because they were allegedly based on “a host of false claims evidently attributable to a self-interested staffer with an axe to grind.”

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ ELECTRONIC DEVICES SEIZED BY FBI AMID CAMPAIGN INVESTIGATION

But Capozzolo pointed to page 33 of the indictment, where prosecutors spelled out an alleged series of phone calls between Adams, a staffer and a Turkish official, in which the official told Adams it was “his turn” to repay a favor and the mayor allegedly replied, “I know.”

“That’s about as quid pro quo as you’re going to get,” Capozzolo said.

Read the Eric Adams indictment:

On the other hand, the government may have an uphill battle proving Adams actually returned the Turks a favor with an official act.

“Adams may have a chance of getting the charge dismissed as a result,” Neama Rahmani, another former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital.

He said the Snyder decision “significantly” weakened the federal bribery law and noted that it’s not uncommon to see convictions under the statute get overturned on appeal.

“The Supreme Court has also required an official act for a bribery conviction,” he said. “Adams was a candidate for mayor, but he was the Brooklyn borough president at the time, which means he didn’t have official authority over a building in Manhattan. The defense is using that important fact to argue that there could be no official act for the purpose of the bribery statute.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Before the Justice Department announced Adams’ indictment last week, the mayor accused federal investigators of retaliation over his criticism of President Biden and Vice President Harris for their handling of the southern border, which he said led to a migrant crisis in New York City that overloaded its shelter system. The influx of illegal immigrants coincided with a spike in robberies in the Big Apple, city police said earlier this year.

Still, the federal investigation has ensnared numerous people in the mayor’s orbit, including campaign staffers, city officials and even his former police commissioner, in an alleged corruption ring of such a scale that Capozzolo said it’s a throwback to the 1800s-era Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed.

Adams could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted of all charges, which include one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe.

Read the full article from Here

Boston, MA

Kirouac’s dunk sparks Georgia Tech to victory over Boston College

Published

33 minutes ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Tech

Jackets shook off a sluggish start to dispose of Boston College, 65-53.

Georgia Tech guard Chas Kelley III finishes a layup past Boston College’s Marko Radunovic on Saturday, Jan. 3 at McCamish Pavilion. (Danny Karnik/Georgia Tech Athletics)

Trailing late in the second half Saturday at McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech needed a spark. Cole Kirouac delivered.

The 7-foot freshman found himself unguarded inside the arc on the left side of the court. Without hesitation he bolted toward the rim, took flight and slammed home the ball with two hands to tie the score at 46 with seven minutes left on the clock.

Kirouac’s dunk brought many of the 5,978 to their feet and changed the energy in the building while the Yellow Jackets threatened to lose to the worst team in the ACC. Instead, Tech took the lead shortly after Kirouac’s play and never trailed again in a 65-53 victory.

“Originally, it was just supposed to be a handoff. I saw my man sagging off. I just took one dribble, went up and dunked it,” Kirouac said. “I feel like I was pretty tired in that moment. I feel like that energized me a lot. I think we had energy as a team, but I feel like it probably boosted it a little bit.”

Said Tech coach Damon Stoudamire: “That was a heck of a dunk he had. That ignited us, ignited the crowd. Proud of him and happy for him.”

Saturday’s victory was the 10th of the season for Tech — all 10 have come at home and all 10 have come against opponents which reside in Quadrant 4 of the NCAA’s NET rankings. Per that metric, Boston College was the ACC’s lowest-ranked team at No. 179 going into Saturday.

But the Jackets (10-5, 1-1 ACC), the ACC’s second-worst team in the NET, found themselves in a dogfight for much of the afternoon despite leading by 10 late in the first half. The Eagles (7-7, 0-1 ACC) had momentum on their side and led by four with 9:14 to play before wilting at the end.

Tech guard Lamar Washington flirted with a triple-double by finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Kowacie Reeves scored 16 and Baye Ndongo had 10 points and eight boards.

Twenty of Tech’s 65 points came from the free-throw line. The Jackets also had 23 fast break points — Boston College had none.

“We’re a good team,” Washington said. “When we play together and we play with confidence and we play how we’re supposed to play, we can — I feel like we can beat anybody in the nation.”

Tech was sluggish and sloppy at the outset, suffering through a field goal drought of 6:04 while missing nine of its first 10 shots. But a Ndongo layup followed by a Kam Craft 3 from the right corner tied the game at 11-all a little less than eight minutes into the fight.

The Jackets began to get a feel for things offensively from there and took their first lead on a Jaeden Mustaf layup at 13-12. Akai Fleming’s powerful finish from the right block 3 1/2 minutes later put the home team ahead 19-15.

Tech had six assists on its first seven made shots at that point.

Fleming’s score began an 10-2 Tech run that also included a Fleming dunk and two Fleming free throws that upped the lead to 27-17.

But the Jackets wouldn’t score the rest of the half and had to settle for a 27-24 lead at the break. The Eagles, despite shooting 9 of 34 from the floor, ended the period on a 7-0 run to close the gap.

“I was actually disappointed the last three minutes of the first half because BC, they’ve played a lot of games where they just rock you to sleep,” Stoudamire said. “You’ll feel like you’re in control of the game and then all of a sudden you lose a rhythm offensively, and then they start scoring some buckets and they hit a bank-shot 3 and you just have all kind of things start happening, and that’s when the game turned. The momentum of the game, it shifted. And we couldn’t find it back offensively.”

A back-and-forth first eight minutes of the second half saw Boston College finally tie the game at 36 before Tech squeaked ahead by four thanks to two Washington free throws and a Reeves layup.

The Eagles responded with a 7-0 run and took the lead on a Donald Hand Jr. 3, and then went up 43-40 on Chase Forte’s layup at the 10:33 mark. Boden Kapke’s putback after a missed free throw gave BC a 46-42 edge 64 seconds later.

That was the last little glimmer of hope the visitors had.

“We couldn’t have won games like this last year,” Stoudamire said. “The way I look at everything that’s happening, I think sometimes people get bent out of shape when you play teams and you don’t beat ‘em by how many points they want you to win by or different things of that nature. We went to Duke and we lost by six. We come back (Saturday) and it was kind of a grimy game.

“But we’ve been playing close games, so we’re seasoned in these games. Doesn’t matter who you play, you’re seasoned in ‘em, and I think that what you’ve seen. You didn’t see no panic with our guys coming down the stretch.”

Hand and Kapke both scored 13 for BC, which shot 18 of 66 from the field and 4 of 29 from long range.

Tech returns to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Syracuse (9-5, 0-1) at McCamish Pavilion.

Chad Bishop is a Georgia Tech sports reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Source link

Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh Regional Transit retiring Fifth Avenue bus lane in Oakland

Published

1 hour ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

Pittsburgh Regional Transit retiring Fifth Avenue bus lane in Oakland

Some big changes are coming to Oakland for Pittsburgh Regional Transit riders, all of which include closures, construction, and the future of safety.

Riders who typically catch the bus on Fifth Avenue in Oakland should start preparing because starting Sunday, Pittsburgh Regional Transit says the bus lane on Fifth Avenue will be permanently retired.

It’s a part of their University Line project, designed to create a more reliable connection between Downtown, Uptown, and Oakland.

But without the Fifth Avenue bus lane, traffic is shifting.

“All of our bus operational movements are going to be moving over here to Forbes Avenue,” said Amy Silbermann, chief development officer with Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

For riders, this means big changes.

Seventeen outbound bus stops along Fifth Avenue will be eliminated, 9 bus routes will be rerouted, and all outbound buses will travel on Forbes with general traffic.

“Forbes Avenue is going to be more congested. We will have more buses than today,” Silbermann noted.

While the closure is permanent, the construction and renovation will be temporary, and part of a much bigger plan.

“Ultimately, that lane is going to turn into a two-way protected bicycle facility. All buses will remain on Forbes Avenue outbound for as long as we know,” Silbermann said.

This change will now leave Forbes as the main bus corridor.

“Ultimately, one lane on Forbes Avenue is going to become a bus-only lane. However, that’s not happening until later next year.”

In the meantime, PRT says it’s working with the city and Port Authority police to keep traffic moving. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2027.

“This is not about making buses rapid. This is about making buses move more reliably and continuously throughout the corridor,” Silbermann said. “Today, they get very bunched up because of the conditions. Once they get bunched up, they end up with big gaps in service, where you may wait a really long time and then get on a really overcrowded bus.”

PRT says they will have staff at select bus stops to help navigate through this transition.

Source link

Connecticut

Connecticut leaders react to capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Published

2 hours ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

Connecticut leaders react to capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — The United States military carried out “large scale” strike inside Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday morning, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, according to President Donald Trump.

Leaders in Connecticut are responding to the military action.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) shared the following statement.

“If we’re starting another endless war, with no clear national security strategy or need, count me out. Maduro is a cruel criminal dictator, but President Trump has never sought approval from Congress for war as the Constitution requires – and our military deserves. We’ve seen several Administrations lead us into conflicts without objectives or timelines and with disastrous consequences. President Trump has also articulated no clear end game to prevent further chaos, violence, and bloodshed in Venezuela. The American people deserve—and Congress should demand—facts and clarity.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called the strike the start of an “illegal war” between the U.S. and Venezuela.

“President Trump thinks he is above the law. He steals from taxpayers. He thumbs his nose at the law. And now, he is starting an illegal war with Venezuela that Americans didn’t ask for and has nothing to do with our security. How does going to war in South America help regular Americans who are struggling? How does this do anything about drugs entering the U.S. when Venezuela produces no fentanyl? What is the actual security threat to the United States? And what happens next in Venezuela? He cannot answer these questions – and that’s why there was no briefing to Congress to explain this action, and no briefing scheduled. And Maduro’s illegitimate election does not give the president the power to invade without congressional approval, nor does it create a national security justification. That contention is laughable. This is about satisfying Trump’s vanity, making good on the long standing neocon grudge against Maduro, enriching Trump’s oil industry backers, and distracting voters from Epstein and rising costs.”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said the Trump administration acted without congressional approval.

“Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, but I have seen no evidence that his presidency poses a threat that would justify military action without Congressional authorization, nor have I heard a strategy for the day after and how we will prevent Venezuela from descending into chaos. Secretary Rubio repeatedly denied to Congress that the Administration intended to force regime change in Venezuela. The Administration must immediately brief Congress on its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

State Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding (R-Conn.) shared that he hopes Maduro is brought to justice, calling him an “integral culprit” in the “narcotic ring” in the United States.

“President Maduro has been an integral culprit in fostering the narcotic ring in our country which has killed far too many Americans. I hope he is brought to justice and we can continue to address the substance abuse crisis that our state and country continues to face.

The Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party Ben Proto shared the following statement.

“President Trump promised to stop the flow of drugs into the US that have been killing millions of Americans. Nicolas Maduro, who declared himself President, while getting about 30% of the vote in the last so called free election in Venezuela, was given multiple warnings to stop the flow of drugs from his country into America, was offered help by the Trump administration in stopping the flow, but he continued to, not only allow the flow of drugs, but condone it and profit from it. Presidents have long used their constitutional authority to intervene in other countries when those countries posed a danger to America and Americans. President Trump did just that. Unfortunately Democrats, particularly Jim Himes, Chris Murphy and Dick Blumenthal are more interested in playing politics than in protecting Americans. Nearly 1,000 Connecticut residents died from drug overdoses in 2024 and we have seen an increase in overdoses in 2025. If only Democrats cared as much about Americans as they do about a drug lord running another country who profits from the death of Americans.“

Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) demanded that Congress must be briefed before further action.

“As information about U.S military strikes in Venezuela unfold, I have more questions than answers. Nicolas Maduro is a brutal dictator who caused so much harm to his people. However, as Americans we must seriously weigh the consequences of attacking a sovereign nation and committing to “run Venezuela.” Congress must be briefed immediately, before this situation continues to escalate. I will comment further as credible information becomes available to Members of Congress.“

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) shared the following statement, claiming that there could be “severe repercussions for American interests.”

“President Trump’s unilateral decision to attempt a regime change operation in Venezuela by using military force to capture Nicolas Maduro and declaring, ‘we will run the country’, threatens global order and is a fundamental violation of the Constitution, which gives Congress the responsibility of authorizing major military actions that could have severe repercussions for American interests.

“America’s unprecedented global strength and prosperity was built on this principle of restraining military force through democratic bodies like Congress. President Trump has shredded this principle, and along with it has destroyed American credibility and emboldened our adversaries to act with similar aggression. This new foreign policy that President Trump and his advisors have used to justify this act of war, including invoking the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine as a justification for America to do whatever it pleases in the Western Hemisphere, is the exact same reasoning that China would use to justify invading Taiwan, and which Russia has used to assault Ukraine.

“President Trump has also now threatened Cuba with similar language, and is preparing a giant corrupt giveaway to oil companies by claiming that the United States will acquire Venezuela’s oil. This is corruption of the highest order. Maduro was an authoritarian who stayed in power despite the will of the people, but that does not justify the United States in starting a war to benefit some of the world’s wealthiest corporations.

“President Trump did all of this without the consent of Congress, and without providing any details or day-after plans. The full consequences of this act of war will not be known for some time, and they may require putting American boots on the ground in Venezuela, as the President has said he was prepared to do. The American people do not want to be dragged into another endless conflict distracting from the rising cost of living and the affordability crisis. Whatever happens next, the responsibility will be squarely with President Trump and his contempt for the Constitution and for Congress.”

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) echoed the statements of his fellow Democrats.

“This is yet another authoritarian power grab by Donald Trump. As he indicated in his address, it’s clear it’s about the oil!!! And securing that oil!!! And securing it with the use of our brave men and women in the United States military!!! The Constitution entrusts Congress, not the President, with the power to declare war for a reason. It’s Congress’s responsibility to decide whether the nation goes to war or not! That’s why I’m joining with others in calling on the President to immediately brief Congress—and for Congress to assert its authority under the Constitution and the War Powers Act—to let this President know he does not have the authority to unilaterally commit our country to yet another endless war.“

This is a developing story. Stay with News 8 for updates.

Source link