NYC Mayor Eric Adams Claims He Doesn’t Know The Construction Company At Center Of Fundraising Investigation

Adams claims he doesn't know the firm who is being accused of funneling money with the Turkish government into his 2021 mayoral campaign.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams claims he’s unaware of KSK Construction, the firm embroiled in a federal campaign finance investigation.

Adams claims he doesn’t know KSK Construction amid an investigation for its alleged involvement in a kickback scheme tied to the mayor, Daily Mail reports. The Brooklyn-based company is accused of funneling money from the Turkish government into Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign, which led to the FBI raiding his chief fundraiser’s home.

During a televised interview, Adams was asked directly if he had any prior involvement with the company.

“Not to my knowledge,” he said. Adams put KSK in the category of one of many groups that contributed to his campaign.

The home of Eric Adams’ primary fundraiser, Briana Suggs, 25, in the Crown Heights neighborhood was searched by the FBI shortly after Halloween as part of the potential corruption investigation. A welfare check was requested for Suggs’ home on Nov. 1, just hours before the raid. Law enforcement seized phones, laptops, and documents as part of its investigation, and Adams said during the interview that he has been in touch with Suggs and his legal team.

KSK is allegedly attached to potential straw donors who donated in their names to cover up the real source. Campaign finance records reveal that 11 employees of the construction company made close to identical donations of about $1,250 to Adams’ campaign on the same day in 2021, totaling almost $14,000. Records show that the company’s co-owner, Erden Arkan, made a personal $1,500 donation to Adams and held a fundraiser in May 2021 that brought in almost $70,000 toward his mayoral campaign.

While the investigation continues, Adams has denied any wrongdoing and feels confident in Suggs, who once managed to raise $18 million for his 2021 campaign.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s not always fire,” Adams said. “She has done an amazing job.”

According to Gothamist, KSK specializes in condo and hotel development and other projects in the Big Apple. It has more than 50 buildings constructed in the city. Founder Ulgur Aydin said that’s low in terms of real estate standards.

In an article with Construction Today in 2021, Aydin said he had high hopes for the future.

“My hopes and goals for 2022 are to obtain more projects to build, and in the meantime, continue developing,” he said.

KSK has close to 35 active construction jobs in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.