The bribery allegation against New York Mayor Eric Adams is "extraordinarily vague" and brought by "zealous prosecutors" who spent years "casting about" for something to support a criminal case against the mayor, a defense attorney said Monday in a new court filing.

Federal prosecutors alleged Adams accepted more than $100,000 in airline upgrades and luxury hotel stays from Turkey and, in 2021, when a Turkish official told Adams it was "his turn," Adams allegedly pressured the New York City Fire Department to expedite a safety inspection of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

Adams was formally charged on Friday. He entered a plea of not guilty one day after the indictment was unsealed

Adams' attorney, Alex Spiro, argued on Monday that the alleged scheme "does not satisfy the definition of bribery" because the indictment does not explicitly state Adams agreed to perform any official action in exchange for the travel benefits.

"Instead, the indictment simply alleges that while serving as Brooklyn Borough President — not Mayor or even Mayor-elect — Adams agreed to generally help with the 'management' or 'regulation' of a Turkish Consulate building in Manhattan, where he had no official authority," Spiro wrote in a motion to dismiss the bribery count.

The defense suggested what Adams is accused of doing is standard practice, not criminal.

"That extraordinarily vague allegation covers a wide range of ordinary and lawful actions that any City official would undertake for the consulate of an important foreign nation," the motion said. "The three innocuous messages Adams allegedly sent to the Fire Commissioner here fall far short of the kind of official act required for bribery,"

Adams has maintained his innocence on all five charges. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday.

Spiro said the other four counts should also be dismissed.