- Eric Adams is appearing in court for the first time in his criminal case Friday.
- He's scheduled to enter a plea for the federal bribery indictment against him.
- Prosecutors say Adams took bribes from Turkey in the form of luxury travel perks.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrived in Manhattan federal court Friday morning, where he is expected to enter a plea in his sprawling criminal bribery case.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have accused Adams of participating in a yearslong scheme where he curried bribes from the Turkish government, including luxury travel perks.
In exchange, prosecutors said, Adams pushed city officials to approve plans for the Turkish House, a 36-story tower near the United Nations that houses Turkey's consulate and other diplomatic functions.
Adams has denied wrongdoing. He is expected to formally enter a plea during a court hearing before US Magistrate Judge Katherine Parker at noon.
The hearing is scheduled to take place in a courtroom on the 26th floor of the courthouse, in the same room where Sean "Diddy" Combs — to whom Adams gave a "key to the city" — was arraigned on his own set of criminal charges last week.
Adams is being represented in his criminal case by Alex Spiro, Elon Musk's go-to lawyer. Spiro recently won an acquittal for Alec Baldwin in a criminal case over the "Rust" movie set shooting.
Since the indictment, the number of Democrats calling for Adams' resignation has grown.
If the mayor does not plead guilty in the case, his trial is set to be overseen by US District Judge Dale Ho, a nominee of President Joe Biden and former top election lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Ho took the bench in a year ago, and the indictment against Adams would be his first high-profile case as a judge.
