New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is indicted on federal fraud, bribery and campaign finance charges, says the Justice Department’s indictment against him is “completely false and based on lies” and is a response to his criticism of the white man’s botched handling of a crisis House on the southern border.

While the indictment contains serious allegations that he may have stolen $10 million from taxpayers’ pockets, the investigation may have begun as political retaliation, according to David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney who prosecuted the case.

“If you read between the tea leaves of this indictment, it looks like they didn’t really begin their investigation until 2021, 2022, when they raided Eric Adams’ fundraiser house,” he told Fox News Digital. In November 2023, the FBI raided Brianna Suggs, a top fundraiser for the 2021 mayoral campaign.

After the New York mayor’s indictment, the feds confiscate Eric Adams’ phone

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference on September 26, 2024. He was indicted on federal charges following an investigation into alleged campaign corruption. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

“So what happened in 2021 and 2022? That was the time when Eric Adams criticized the Biden administration,” Gelman added.

The raid on Suggs came as Adams visited Washington, D.C. to raise concerns about the refugee crisis. He canceled his trip.

Adams has been a vocal critic of the White House’s border policies since migrants began arriving in New York in droves, overwhelming the city’s shelter system and allegedly fueling a “wave of migrant crime” with phone thefts and other thefts.

But investigators said Thursday that politics played no role in building their case.

NEW YORK MAYOR ERIC ADAMS CHARGED

An NYPD officer stands in front of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in New York on Thursday, September 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

“We are not focused on the right or the left,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York said during a news conference Thursday. “We focus on right and wrong. This is our duty and we will fulfill it.”

A spokesman for his office declined further comment on Adams’ claims of political persecution.

Regardless of the motive, Gelman said Adams faces serious charges for alleged tax fraud, bribes and influence peddling.

Adams’ office is taking action against an FBI employee who may have “falsely leaked details” of the corruption probe

WATCH: NYC Mayor Adams calls pending federal charges ‘completely false’

He also said he was shocked at how obvious the allegations against the former NYPD captain were if they were true. So much so that in his remarks, Williams described the mayor’s alleged attempts to cover his tracks as a “clumsy cover-up.”

“I’m honestly surprised at how sloppy Adams and his subordinates were,” Gelman said. “If you’re someone who knows about policing and anything in government, you would think you would have a much better understanding of how to conceal and conceal things. But I don’t think so.”

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks to reporters. During a news conference Thursday, he denied that the federal investigation into New York Mayor Eric Adams was politically motivated. (U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York)

Anthony Capozzolo, a former federal prosecutor who handled public corruption cases in the neighboring Eastern District of New York, said the “shocking” allegations against Adams were a throwback to the corruption of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall in the 19th century.

“Not many cases involving corruption and illegal insider benefits also pose a risk to public safety, but this case brings with it the fact that Adams appears willing to put aside security concerns about the Turkish diplomatic building “This must be done quickly at the request of Turkish government officials,” he said. “This was a high-rise — for prosecutors, this prevents the defense from downplaying the seriousness of the crime, another common tactic used by defense attorneys in corruption cases.”

Adams has portrayed the investigation as a smear campaign aimed at undermining his credibility and portraying him as guilty for months before charges were filed.

He has condemned leaks from the traditionally silent SDNY office and questioned the validity of the raids on numerous members of his inner circle.

“Just last week, they raided the home of our new police commissioner looking for documents from 20 years ago, just a week after he joined my administration,” he said. “Enough. I will fight these injustices with all my strength and all my spirit.”

READ THE CHARGE:

The FBI seized his cellphone Thursday morning after he returned to Gracie Mansion, the city’s mayor’s residence, but Adams has not yet been taken into custody.

The mayor is now charged with one count of conspiring to obtain campaign contributions from foreign nationals and committing wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and one count of soliciting and accepting bribes.

If convicted of all charges, Adams could face up to 45 years in prison.

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According to the indictment, federal investigators were looking into whether Adams’ 2021 and 2025 mayoral campaigns worked with Turkish officials, business leaders and other organizations to illegally raise funds. Court documents show misconduct as early as 2016.