NEW YORK — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced a series of indictments Friday in a straw-donor scheme designed to curry favor with New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

In 2020 and 2021, when Adams was running for mayor in a crowded Democratic primary, a group of defendants allegedly plotted to circumvent campaign finance laws to deliver more money to the Adams campaign than would normally be allowed.

City statues limit the amount of money any one person can donation to a candidate. However, the rules also match certain donations with taxpayer dollars, providing a substantial 8-to-1 boost.

In this case, when some of the defendants maxed out their contributions, the DA alleged they orchestrated a system to reimburse others for their donations to the Adams campaign. The effort appeared to be very organized. The defendants threw two fundraisers, at least one of which Adams appeared to be aware of, according to court documents, and used a spreadsheet to track the straw donors and the total lump of cash headed into the campaign’s coffers.

A spokesperson for Adams’ mayoral campaign referred questions to the DA’s office. Bragg spokesperson Danielle Filson said, “The campaign is not charged. The office cannot comment on the status of investigations.”

A spokesperson for City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ultimately, the idea behind the alleged scheme, according to Bragg, was to use the illicitly-obtained haul to seek favorable treatment from City Hall once Adams was elected.

“We allege a deliberate scheme to game the system in a blatant attempt to gain power. The indictment charges the defendants with subverting campaign finance laws by improperly structuring campaign contributions,” Bragg said in a statement. “The New York City Campaign Finance Board program is meant to support our democracy and amplify the voices of New York City voters. When the integrity of that program is corrupted, all New Yorkers suffer.”