Every NYC mayor becomes a celebrity — but none have wanted an A-list life more than Eric Adams

New York City mayor Eric Adams is known to frequent celebrity haunts across the city and rub shoulders with the A-listers. Now he has a lawyer to match.

City Hall has hired attorney-to-the-stars Alex Spiro to represent the mayor in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a fellow city employee in 1993. Mr Adams strenuously denies the allegations.

Spiro, who has represented clients such as Elon Musk, Megan Thee Stallion and Jay Z, charges up to $2,025 an hour for his services, and New York City taxpayers will foot the bill for Adams’ legal costs.

Even though the city has claimed it was getting a much-discounted rate, the decision has raised some eyebrows. Responding to questions about the hiring, Mr Adams seemed flattered to be among such illustrious company.

“I don’t know how one becomes a celebrity lawyer, am I a celebrity mayor?" he asked.

He’s certainly not the first to wonder.

All NYC mayors are celebrities, but Adams seems to lean into the role more than others.

A meticulous 2022 New York Times deep dive into the newly elected mayor’s nighttime habits found he had “become a fixture out after dark” around the city. Adams campaigned on a promise to revitalise a nightlife industry that had been battered by the pandemic, and he seems willing to do it single-handedly if necessary.

Adams is a regular at restaurant Osteria La Baia, an Italian restaurant in Midtown run by the mayor’s close friends, Robert and Zhan Petrosyants. The Times noted, after stalking the mayor, that Adams visited the restaurant 14 times in one month, where he “slips behind a frosted glass partition to a private table where he holds court.”

Maxwell Young, a spokesman for the mayor, told the Times: “Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking city business at a restaurant.”

Adams remains a regular at Zero Bond, a private members’ club in NoHo frequented by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Tom Brady and where membership fees range from $2,500 to $4,000.

But while Adams may move like an A-lister after dark, it’s his legal woes keeping his name in the headlines.

Adams currently faces two scandals that threaten to derail his mayoralty — the sexual assault allegation and a federal investigation into alleged corruption dating back to his 2021 campaign.

The assault lawsuit was filed in March by Lorna Beach-Mathura and alleges that Adams sexually assaulted her when she went to him for help with a promotion in 1993, when they both worked for the NYPD’s Transit Bureau.

Adams has denied the sexual assault allegations, telling reporters: “It absolutely did not happen, I don’t recall meeting this person. I’d never harm anyone in that magnitude.”

The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the corruption probes, but federal investigators appear to be widening their probe into his links to the Turkish government.

In November, federal agents raided the home of his chief fundraiser, Birana Suggs, reportedly seeking documents relating to their investigation into whether the Adams campaign received money from the Turkish government via straw donors.

Part of that investigation is focused on whether Adams intervened to overlook safety concerns at the newly built Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

Then, last week, the New York Times reported that the FBI was looking into flight upgrades he may have received from Turkish Airlines for international trips.

Brendan R McGuire, Adams’ lawyer, told the Times: “As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade,” he said.

The one thing not up for debate is how much Adams enjoys being the centre of attention. As Brooklyn borough president, he once appeared as himself in a Turkish romcom, a 2017 film called New York Fairytale.

The two Turkish characters ask him for political favours — and Adams responds: “Brooklyn is the Istanbul of America,” before posing for a selfie with them.