Mayor Eric Adams has a lot to worry about these days, from five federal indictments to his bleak re-election prospects next year.
Now, another pressing concern has emerged. That means his defense fund is empty.
New filings filed late Tuesday say Mr. Adams spent almost all of the roughly $1.8 million he raised last year to pay legal fees related to a federal investigation into his campaign fundraising.
And the pace of donations is slowing. The mayor has only received one donation since he was indicted on federal charges on Sept. 26 on charges of bribery, fraud and illegal solicitation of foreign campaign contributions. The $1,000 donation came from Miami Beach resident Deborah Robbins, who did not respond to a request for comment.
The defense fund has raised about $92,000 since July, less than at other recent times, according to quarterly reports to the city’s Conflicts of Interest Commission. The fund was created in November 2023, when a federal investigation suddenly became public and federal agents seized the mayor’s cell phone.
Recent donors include James Dolan, who oversees a family empire that includes Madison Square Garden and the Knicks. Mr. Dolan, along with several family members, donated $5,000 to the defense fund. Prominent hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb and his wife Margaret donated $10,000.
Asked Wednesday if he was worried about running out of money for his legal defense fund, Adams said “no” and laughed.
The Defense Fund had to return more than $137,000 in donations that were prohibited by law or returned at the donor’s request or at the Fund’s discretion.
Frank Carone, an adviser to Mr. Adams who has been leading fundraising efforts for his campaign and legal defense fund, said the mayor, who has also seen a similar slowdown, has reached a cap on fundraising for his 2025 campaign. , plans to create a defense fund in the coming months.
“Now we’re going to look at focused efforts on the defense fund,” Carone said in an interview. “The good news is that mayors no longer have to worry about campaign fundraising, allowing them to focus on city administration and campaigning when needed.”
Adams said at his weekly news conference Tuesday that his re-election campaign is nearing the maximum it can spend and doesn’t need to raise more money.
“Many of your articles highlighted the funds raised by others, but we were raising the most funds,” he said. “Then we pivoted and changed. We only had a small amount of money to raise.”
Since Mr. Adams was charged with abusing a system that gives candidates $8 for every $1 they receive from city residents for the first $250, some elected officials have warned that Mr. They have raised concerns about whether the movement should receive public matching funds.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running against Adams for mayor, told NY1 on Tuesday that he does not believe Adams will receive any public matching funds, and that his campaign He said it would be a huge blow to the country.
Having a strong legal defense can be expensive. Adams’ predecessor, Bill de Blasio, faced a federal investigation into fundraising, and the city spent more than $10 million in taxpayer funds on a defense attorney, even though he was not indicted. He also paid about $300,000 in legal fees for himself, but it’s unclear if he ever paid them off.
Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who is considering a run for mayor, resigned in 2021 after facing multiple sexual harassment investigations. The state spent more than $25 million on behalf of his legal interests.
The City Council authorized the legal defense fund in 2019 after the Conflicts of Interest Commission ruled that city contribution limits barred Mr. de Blasio from requiring him to pay more than $50 in legal fees per donor. .
Adams’ defense fund has spent more than $240,000 on legal services since the indictment. These payments went primarily to a powerful team at law firm WilmerHale, including the mayor’s former chief counsel Brendan McGuire.
Payments to Alex Spiro, another prominent lawyer who represents Adams, are not listed. Spiro, who held a press conference on behalf of the mayor in the days following the indictment, said he would represent Adams during the trial and had previously represented Adams in another sexual assault case. .
Robbins, a Florida woman listed as a donor to the mayor’s defense fund, told the Daily News she did not donate. I don’t put it in there. ”
New York City resident Ervil Muklic donated $5,000 to Adams’ legal defense fund in July, according to the filing. “It was a while ago,” he said by phone Wednesday, but said he couldn’t remember the details.
“I need to double check,” he said. “I don’t remember what happened.”
He asked the reporter to call him back, but again he did not answer.
Bianca Pallaro contributed reporting.
