Day: November 7, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said that he had spoken with Republican President-elect Donald Trump following the election but would not disclose whether they discussed his federal indictment brought by President Biden’s Justice Department.

Adams, a Democrat, made the remarks in response to a reporter’s question during an unrelated Thursday news conference on a new city lawsuit over youth vaping, a little over a day after Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in his bid to return to the White House. The reporter asked Adams whether he had spoken to Trump and congratulated the former president on his victory—and whether he would help with the mayor’s federal corruption charges. The mayor was also asked if the pair had spoken about youth vaping.

“I communicated with the president yesterday to state that there are many issues here in the city that we want to work together with the administration to address,” Adams said. “A lot of our infrastructure issues, a lot of the issues that we shared yesterday with the team here. The city must move forward, and that’s what our goal is to do.”

But Adams notably did not answer whether he congratulated the president-elect or if they had discussed his criminal charges — brought by Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams on Sept. 26. The mayor cited not wanting to go into private conversations in declining to address those topics.

“We did not talk about the incoming administration to look at this vaping issue,” he said, answering the vaping portion of the question, but not the part about his legal case. “But it’s one of the many topics that I think there should be a federal approach to address the problem of vaping in the city.”

Asked by another reporter whether he had discussed the topic of immigration with Trump, Adams repeated that he does not go into private conversations. On Wednesday, Adams notably refused to answer whether his administration would cooperate with Trump’s pledge to round up and deport millions of undocumented migrants.

The questions came following weeks of speculation that Adams has avoided criticizing Trump, unlike most other leading Democratic pols, in hopes the former president would help dismiss the charges against or pardon him. The New York Post reported last month that Adams’ legal team hoped for a Trump victory, given that he would likely install his own attorney general who could then dismiss the case against Adams.

City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is challenging Adams in next year’s Democratic mayoral primary, mused last week that the mayor was going easy on Trump following his inflammatory rally at Madison Square Garden to “get a pardon” from him. Following the rally, where Trump and some of his closest supporters voiced misogynistic and racist remarks, Adams would not directly condemn the then former-president’s conduct.

Trump in turn has publicly sympathized with Adams, casting them both as victim’s of political retribution from Biden’s Justice Department — claims he has made without evidence.

The mayor also noticeably avoided saying Vice President Harris’ name in the weeks leading up to the election, only quickly uttering it on Election Day before casting his vote at his Brooklyn poll site.

Adams has pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges including bribery, accepting foreign campaign donations and wire fraud. He is accused of soliciting and accepting roughly $100,000 in luxury travel benefits and illegal campaign donations from Turkish nationals for nearly a decade in exchange for political favors.

A senior man was killed Wednesday evening after being struck by a bus while riding a moped in Downtown Brooklyn. 

The 74-year-old man, whom police have not identified, was riding an electric moped south on Jay Street just after 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, when the 66-year-old driver of a Prevost coach bus going the same direction attempted to turn right on Tillary Street.

The man on the moped was struck by the bus as it was turning, falling to the ground before being run over by its tires, police say. He was taken to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A Rosedale man was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday to life in prison for murdering and dismembering a woman to collect $200,000 in life insurance proceeds after watching episodes of “Dexter” and “The First 48” for tips on disposing of the victim’s body and covering up a violent crime.

Cory Martin, 37, was convicted by a federal jury in March following a two-week trial on all counts, including murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, and other related crimes.

“The defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Martin preyed on Brandy Odom. He saw the victim as a way to make money. He trafficked her for commercial sex, then killed her with his bare hands so he could profit from her death.”

Martin, who operated as a pimp, lived at a Rosedale home with his girlfriend and co-conspirator Adelle Anderson and the then-26-year-old victim, Brandy Odom, who both were engaged in commercial sex work for Martin. In March and December 2017, Martin and Anderson fraudulently obtained two life insurance policies in Odom’s name. They made premium payments to the life insurance companies by Western Union money orders and by using a debit card in Odom’s name. They then plotted her death.

At trial, Anderson testified that prior to Odom’s murder, she and Martin watched “The First 48”, a true-crime TV show about police tactics and they discussed “what not to do, and what things to do to avoid being caught by the police.” Anderson testified that she and Martin also watched “Dexter,” a TV show about a serial killer who dismembered his victims, because Martin was “looking for ways to commit the crime when they got rid of Brandy.”

In early April 2018, Martin strangled Odom in her bedroom. Martin and Anderson then purchased cleaning supplies and a vacuum at the Green Acres Mall on Long Island to clean up the murder scene.

On April 6, 2018, Martin searched Home Depot’s website for a “Dewalt 12-Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw,” described as featuring a “powerful 12 Amp motor designed for heavy-duty applications.”

Later that evening, Martin searched YouTube for “how to insert a blade for reciprocating saw” and “using reciprocating saw.” Anderson testified that Martin used the electric saw to dismember the victim’s corpse in the bathtub after covering every surface of the bathroom with heavy-duty, black garbage bags to eliminate evidence of the killing.

In the early morning of April 8 and 9, 2018, Martin disposed of Odom’s body parts in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn with the assistance of Anderson. In the following days, after her body parts were found, Martin conducted dozens of internet searches for news articles, including “Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn.”

Martin also accessed a Twitter post titled “Person walking dog discovers remains of woman in Brooklyn park.” The following day, Martin searched YouTube using the search term “exclusive interview of mother of girl found in park.”

After Odom’s murder, at Martin’s direction, Anderson made several unsuccessful attempts to claim benefits under Odom’s life insurance policies.

“The defendant thought he could thwart law enforcement and cover up his heinous crime by relying on television shows about murder, but the investigatory efforts of law enforcement brought him to justice,” Peace said. “Brandy Odom’s life mattered and I hope that this sentence, which protects our community by ensuring that the defendant cannot victimize another person, brings some measure of closure to her family.”

U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly sentenced Martin to life in prison. He was also sentenced to a concurrent term of 20 years imprisonment for wire fraud conspiracy and a consecutive term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft.

“Cory Martin received his punishment for the despicable murder of Brandy Odom. Martin utilized fictional stories to devise his own wicked tale of murder as an amoral avenue for selfish financial gain,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge James E. Dennehy said.

“His grisly actions reflect an utter disregard for human life as he continued to brutalize Brandy even after her death in an attempt to evade law enforcement detection. May today’s sentencing offer Brandy’s family some justice and reiterate the FBI’s stout intolerance against those willing to take another’s life.”

Anderson took a plea deal for her role in the crime, and will be sentenced at a later date.

“Mr. Martin has been justly sentenced to prison for his abhorrent actions, ensuring that society will be safe from him for the remainder of his life,” NYPD Interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon said. “We remain dedicated to holding accountable those who seek to profit from the mistreatment and exploitation of others.”