New York City taxpayers aren’t on the hook for the legal bill in Eric Adams’ federal bribery case, a spokesperson for the mayor confirmed to Business Insider.
Adams is represented in the criminal case by Alex Spiro, a former Manhattan prosecutor and one of the highest-profile lawyers in the country, representing the likes of Elon Musk and Alec Baldwin.
Spiro had already been defending Adams in an unrelated civil sexual lawsuit case since April. For that case, Spiro was billing the city for his work — though reportedly charging only $250 per hour instead of the $2,025 per hour rate he’s charged other clients.
But New York City’s coffers aren’t being emptied for Spiro’s work in the criminal case against Adams, according to Fabien Levy, the city’s deputy mayor for communications.
“No, the city is not covering the costs of representation in this matter,” Levy told BI in an email.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have brought five criminal counts against Adams, accusing him …