The FBI has gone ahead to investigate five donations from a Turkish University funding Eric Adams’s campaign which he returned.
In 2021, the Eric Adams campaign received five $2,000 donations from people listed as employees of Bay Atlantic University, a small Turkish-owned institution based in Washington, D.C.
The FBI is investigating the donations to determine whether the Adams campaign conspired with the institution to illegally horn foreign money into the campaign’s pocket.
Adams has released a statement, saying he was “outraged and angry if anyone attempted to use the campaign to manipulate our democracy and defraud our campaign.”
The five donations from Bay Atlantic University workers came from a fundraiser held on September 18, 2021, and were refunded 17 days later, according to campaign records.
All of them donated exactly $2,000 to Adams, but none of them are registered to vote in New York, Maryland, or Washington, D.C.
But Under federal law in the United States, it is illegal for any federal or local campaign to accept money from foreign nationals.
When asked why those donations were returned, Evan Thies, Adams’ 2021 campaign spokesperson said in a text message to THE CITY, “The campaign had raised more money than it could spend.” But campaign records show they accepted and did not return other contributions in the weeks that followed.
A spokesperson for Sinem Vatanartiran, the university’s president since 2014 said when asked about the donations:
“I personally supported the mayor, so I donated to him, but by the time my contribution was received, I was told his campaign had reached the maximum public finance limits, and my check was returned,” a spokesperson speaking on behalf of Vatanartiran responded.
“I understand this also happened to several of my former colleagues who are no longer with BAU but also personally supported the mayor’s campaign and had donations returned.”