NYC Mayor Eric Adams' defense trust nearly $1 million in the red after raising just $2,200 in latest period

Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News on Jan 16, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — Amid mounting legal bills, Mayor Eric Adams’ defense trust is nearly $1 million in the red after raising just over $2,000 in the latest reporting period — most of it from a convicted businessman pardoned by former President Donald Trump during his first White House term, a new filing reveals.

The trust, which Adams uses to cover legal fees he’s racking up to defend himself against his federal corruption indictment, has outstanding bills totaling about $925,000, according to the new filing submitted with the city Conflicts of Interest Board late Wednesday.

The trust’s surging debt comes after it paid the law firm of Alex Spiro, his lead defense attorney in the corruption case, a $200,000 retainer in the most recent reporting period, which spanned from mid-October through this week.

Accounting for the latest disclosure, Adams’ trust has raised about $1.63 million and spent $2.5 million. His legal fees are certain to grow even larger, as he’s set to go on trial in April, just weeks before the June Democratic mayoral primary in which he faces multiple challengers.

Spiro, a celebrity attorney who also counts Elon Musk and Jay-Z as clients, has been known to charge clients as much as $2,000 per hour and started representing Adams shortly after his Sept. 26 indictment. The indictment, to which Adams has pleaded not guilty, alleges he accepted bribes and illegal straw donations for his 2021 and 2025 campaigns from Turkish government operatives in exchange for political favors.

Spiro didn’t immediately return a request for comment Thursday, and neither did Vito Pitta, the trust’s compliance attorney.

In the most recent reporting period, the trust also paid $411,776 to WilmerHale, a white shoe law firm that is working on Adams’ defense alongside Spiro. Brendan McGuire, Adams’ former chief counsel at City Hall, is a partner at the firm.

As its bills continue to pile up, the mayor’s trust had a lackluster fundraising showing in the latest period, with only two individuals contributing a total of $2,200, according to the new disclosure.

One of the donors, Tzvi Odzer, contributed most of it, giving the trust $2,000 on Nov. 26.

Odzer, who also gave $1,000 to Adams’ reelection campaign in 2023, was sentenced in the mid-2000s to prison time after being charged with bank fraud and making illegal straw donations in his children’s name to then-New York Congressman Anthony Weiner.

On Jan. 19, 2021, the final day of his first presidential term, Trump pardoned Odzer. Trump, who’s set to return to the White House next week for his second term, has said he’s considering pardoning Adams, telling reporters last month he believes the Democratic mayor has been “treated pretty unfairly.”

Reached by phone Thursday, Odzer declined to discuss his Adams contribution.

The other $200 given to Adams in the latest reporting period came from Alan Sclar, an attorney.

The trust was already functionally in the red as of the last filing in mid-October. Asked at the time about the deficit, he told reporters: “I have legal bills and I’m going to pay my bills. That’s how I live my life.”