A federal judge on Friday sentenced Brooklyn construction executive Erden Arkan to one year of probation for orchestrating an illegal straw-donor scheme that benefited New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s 2021 campaign. Arkan, 76, had pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after admitting he reimbursed 10 employees for donations, enabling the campaign to tap the city’s public matching-funds program. U.S. District Judge Dale Ho cited Arkan’s age and previously clean record in rejecting a possible prison term of up to six months recommended by sentencing guidelines. In addition to probation, Ho ordered a $9,500 fine and $18,000 in restitution. Prosecutors and the probation office had agreed incarceration was unnecessary. The proceeding follows Ho’s April decision to dismiss bribery charges against Mayor Adams at the Justice Department’s request. While the mayor’s case was dropped, federal prosecutors continued the related investigations, including a pending matter against former City Hall aide Mohamed Bahi, who pleaded guilty earlier this week. Arkan’s lawyer criticized prosecutors for pressing ahead after Adams’s charges were withdrawn, calling the situation “unprecedented.” Ho countered that the remaining case warranted its own resolution and said he hoped the businessman would not “let this one mistake define” his legacy.