According to a letter filed by federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on Monday, Brooklyn real estate magnate Erden Arkan plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge in Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment. He would be the first to plead guilty in this case.
Owner of Brooklyn construction business in Eric Adams FBI campaign probe bought $2.1M apartment, flashes trips to Japan and Greece https://t.co/3adGMpfG2Q pic.twitter.com/wsKvOoiKZy
— New York Post (@nypost) November 5, 2023
Arkan is the owner of the real estate construction firm KSK, specialized in “Luxury Condominium projects,” according to the company’s website, and a well-known member in New York Turkish community. He was investigated over the last year for his connections with Mayor Adams, along with KSK. Then last September, when NYC Mayor was indicted on federal charges for bribery, fraud, and conspiracy, Arkan was identified in court papers under the name of “Businessman-5.”
According to the letter, Turkish government officials hosted a dinner in 2021 where Adams personally solicited illegal campaign contributions from Arkan. Prosecutors also said that Arkan hosted a fundraiser himself in honor of the mayor at KSK Headquarters in Brooklyn, where eleven of his employees donated between $1,200 and $1,500 and were then reimbursed by the company. Arkan told the FBI that he switched real donor names to fake ones to cover their identities.
After his indictment, Mayor Adams pleaded not guilty, repeatedly stating that he will not resign, even aiming to keep his office in next year’s election. One of his lawyers told the Associated Press that Arkan’s decision would have “no bearing on the Mayor’s case whatsoever” and that he “repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions.” But the Adams administration is paying the price, with ten high-ranking officials in City Hall resigning since Adams was charged in September, the latest being the mayor’s former Chief Adviser and longtime ally, Ingrid Lewis-Martin.
