New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting a political contribution from a foreign national, according to an indictment that was unsealed on Thursday — a historic circumstance that comes after a months-long investigation.
In a video released Wednesday as news of the indictment emerged, Adams maintained his innocence.
Early Thursday, federal agents descended upon the mayor’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, member station Gothamist reported, citing law enforcement.
Here’s the indictment that was unsealed on Thursday:
NPR and member station reporters are reading through court records to gather the full context of the accusations against Adams and will continue to update this story.
For nearly a decade of Adams’ political career — first as a borough president and then as mayor, the indictment alleges — he “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish [government] official seeking to gain influence over him.”
“By smuggling their contributions to ADAMS through U.S.-based straw donors, ADAMS’s overseas contributors defeated federal laws that serve to prevent foreign influence on U.S. elections,” the indictment alleges.
Adams is accused of using New York City’s public matching-funds system to compound his gains, with the indictment alleging that because of bogus claims, Adams’ “2021 mayoral campaign received more than $10,000,000 in public funds.”
The federal charges represent an emphatic turnabout in the career of Adams, a former NYPD officer and state senator who went on to become Brooklyn’s borough president before winning the mayoral race in 2021.
What if Adams resigns?
Under New York City’s order of succession, the next person in line to become mayor would be the city’s public advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, 48, a former city council member who represented a Brooklyn district. Next after Williams would be the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander, a progressive Democrat who said in July he would challenge Adams in the 2025 election.
When Adams was asked directly on Wednesday whether he would resign, he was unfazed: “I’m stepping up, not stepping down. I have a city to run.”
It’s not certain how much warning the mayor might have had about being indicted. In that same news conference on Wednesday, he said, “I’m excited about what the future and what tomorrow holds for us.”
Indictment follows exits of top officials
Adams’ administration has seen three high-profile resignations in recent days:
NYPD Commissioner Eric Caban resigned a week after federal authorities seized his cellphone during an investigation.
Lisa Zornberg, the chief counsel and legal advisor to the mayor, resigned days later.
Kristen Kaufman, the deputy commissioner of public private partnerships and economic development, also stepped down.
Rumblings of trouble began last fall
Federal agents performed raids targeting several people in Adams’ inner circle last November, as Gothamist and WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim told NPR last week.
Adams’ top fundraiser Brianna Suggs was one of the people raided — a surprising, but not shocking development: Other mayors’ fundraising operations have also been investigated over the years.
“But what was unusual and really raised people’s eyebrows, was when federal agents also seized the mayor’s phones,” Kim said. “That’s when the political observers started thinking that this is rather serious, because that was pretty much unprecedented in New York.”
The biggest questions about the investigation into the mayor, Kim said, centered on the inquiry’s focus, and how it might intersect with other investigations.
“We do know that part of the focus has been on illegal donations from Turkish officials,” Kim said. “Then there’s another investigation into one of Mayor Adams’ fundraisers who really focused on the Chinese community.”