Prosecutors say ex-aide to NYC Mayor Eric Adams will plead guilty to conspiracy charge

NEW YORK (AP) - A former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge in a corruption case against Adams, prosecutors said in a new court filing Friday.

Mohamed Bahi, who served as City Hall's chief liaison to the Muslim community, was arrested in October as part of a sweeping investigation into Adams and his campaign fundraising that led to the mayor's indictment on corruption charges in September.

Adams has pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes of free and discounted overseas vacations and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, including a Turkish diplomat.

Prosecutors on Friday told a federal judge that Bahi plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy count alleging that he conspired to commit wire fraud by collecting campaign contributions made under the name of someone other than the true contributor. A message seeking comment was sent to Bahi’s attorney.

In the indictment against Adams, Bahi is referenced as "Adams Employee-1," prosecutors noted. It was not immediately revealed when a plea hearing might be scheduled.

The development comes after Adams has cozied up to President Donald Trump, who has criticized the case against Adams and said he is open to giving the Democrat, who was a registered Republican in the 1990s, a pardon.

The revelation about Bahi comes less than a month after a Brooklyn real estate magnate, Erden Arkan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, admitting that he worked with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign contributions to Adams.

"When I wrote the checks, I knew the Eric Adams campaign would use the checks to apply for public matching funds," Arkan said during his plea.

The indictment against Adams accuses the mayor of using illegal contributions to fraudulently obtain public money under the city's matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations.

The mayor has vowed to remain in office as he fights the charge "with every ounce of my strength and my spirit."

A trial for Adams is set for April 21 while Arkan is scheduled to be sentenced in August.