On a hot August morning in Manhattan federal court, the story of a Brooklyn construction magnate’s fall from grace reached its final chapter—at least in the eyes of the law. Erden Arkan, a 76-year-old pillar of New York’s Turkish community, stood before Judge Dale Ho and heard his sentence: one year of probation, a $9,500 fine, and $18,000 in restitution. The charges? Working with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign donations to New York City Mayor Eric Adams during the 2021 mayoral race, a case that has rippled through the city’s political and immigrant circles alike.
Arkan’s path to this moment was anything but ordinary. Once celebrated as a self-made immigrant success story, he now admitted to orchestrating a straw donor scheme that helped Adams’s campaign fraudulently obtain public money through the city’s matching funds program. According to The Associated Press, Arkan confessed to reimbursing employees of his construction firm, KSK, for campaign contributions—each ranging between $1,200 and $1,500. This illegal maneuver allowed Adams’s campaign to qualify for a generous public match, amplifying the impact of these otherwise small-dollar donations.
Judge Ho, recognizing Arkan’s age and previously spotless record, opted for leniency. “I hope that you don’t let this one mistake define you,” Ho told Arkan, as reported by The Independent. The judge even called Arkan’s immigrant journey an example of the American dream—albeit one now tainted by regret. Arkan, for his part, spoke with visible remorse: “I love this city. I dedicated my life to making it better. It pains me that I have harmed it.” His apology was directed not just to the court, but to the city taxpayers who ultimately bankroll the matching funds program he’d abused.
The courtroom drama was just the latest twist in a saga that has entangled some of New York’s most influential figures. The roots of the case stretch back to April 2021, when, according to federal prosecutors, Adams personally solicited donations from Arkan and a Turkish consular official at a dinner. The following month, Arkan hosted a fundraiser at KSK’s headquarters in Brooklyn. Ten employees contributed to the Adams campaign—only to be reimbursed by Arkan himself, a clear violation of campaign finance law.
These illegal donations were not isolated acts. Prosecutors allege that they were part of a broader pattern that enabled Adams to fraudulently secure public funds for his mayoral bid. The city’s matching funds program, designed to amplify the voices of ordinary New Yorkers, instead became a tool for backroom maneuvering. The case, as outlined by The Associated Press, raised uncomfortable questions about the integrity of the system and the lengths to which some would go to win high office.
Arkan’s legal troubles began in earnest in November 2023, when federal investigators searched his home, along with the homes of Adams’s chief fundraiser and his liaison to the Turkish community. The investigation soon revealed deep ties between Arkan and the mayor—a relationship that would come under even greater scrutiny as the case unfolded.
Yet, in a twist that left many observers scratching their heads, Mayor Adams himself saw his criminal charges dropped earlier this year. After a February 19, 2025 hearing, Judge Ho dismissed the case against Adams, following pressure from the Justice Department. According to The Independent, the rationale for dropping the charges was that the prosecution was hindering the Democratic mayor’s ability to assist the Republican administration’s immigration crackdown—a decision the judge later described as “troubling.”
Adams, who had pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges after a 2024 indictment, maintained his innocence throughout. “I have not committed a crime,” Adams declared in court, as quoted by The Associated Press. The first-term mayor, a former police captain, skipped the June Democratic primary and is now running for reelection as an independent—his political future still very much in play.
The dismissal of Adams’s case did little to quell the controversy. Arkan’s attorney, Jonathan Rosen, lambasted the government for continuing to pursue his client after letting the mayor off the hook. “To put it mildly, this is a very unusual case. In fact, it is unprecedented,” Rosen argued in court. The sentiment was echoed by many in the gallery, who wondered aloud about the double standard at play.
But Arkan was not the only one left to face the music. Mohamed Bahi, a former aide to Adams and City Hall’s chief liaison to the Muslim community, pleaded guilty just days before Arkan’s sentencing. Bahi admitted to soliciting straw donations for the Adams campaign from employees of a different Brooklyn construction company at a December 2020 fundraiser. His case, like Arkan’s, highlighted the pervasive nature of the straw donor scheme and the web of relationships that fueled it.
The fallout from the scandal has been significant, casting a shadow over the city’s campaign finance system and raising questions about the influence of foreign officials in local politics. Prosecutors allege that Adams not only accepted illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others, but also returned the favors—most notably by helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections.
For many New Yorkers, the case has been a sobering reminder that even the most well-intentioned programs can be manipulated. The city’s matching funds initiative, once hailed as a model for reducing the influence of big money in politics, now finds itself under scrutiny. As Judge Ho noted in his written opinion, the government’s rationale for dropping the charges against Adams was “troubling,” suggesting that political expediency may have trumped accountability.
In the end, Arkan’s sentencing may offer some closure, but it also leaves lingering doubts. Was justice truly served? Or did politics, as so often happens, get in the way? For Arkan, the hope is that his mistake will not define his legacy. For the city, the challenge now is to restore trust in a system shaken by scandal.
