New York City's web of scandals
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and an inner circle populated by scandal-plagued allies are staring down a growing list of legal problems and a full-blown political firestorm.
Why it matters: All New York City mayors — faced with one of the country's toughest jobs — fight off scandal and bad press. But perhaps no administration in recent history has faced this much trouble in a single term.
Driving the news: Hizzoner and his staffers, many of whom were hired despite sketchy backgrounds, have become entangled in a stunning web of federal and local investigations.
- The NYPD commissioner was forced to resign last week after the FBI raided his home — and other homes belonging to top Adams aides — earlier this month.
Zoom in: At least four agencies — the Justice Department, the FBI, the IRS and the city's Department of Investigations — are now involved in four separate corruption probes of people in Adams' orbit.
- The first, which emerged last year, is reportedly focused on whether the Adams campaign illegally conspired with Turkish-linked groups to receive foreign money.
- Another investigation examines a nightclub security business owned by the twin brother of Edward Caban, the NYPD commissioner who resigned last week, the N.Y. Times reports.
- A third investigation reportedly focuses on a possible bribery scheme involving a government consultant whose two brothers are high-ranking city officials.
- The last known investigation appears to involve Adams' director of Asian affairs, according to local news website The City.
Last weekend, Adams was hit by the abrupt resignation of chief counsel, Liza Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor who once led the division that's conducting three of the investigations.
- Caban, the former NYPD commissioner, had resigned a few days earlier.
- This week, two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were arrested on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.
The intrigue: A number of Adams aides now at the center of federal investigations have histories of allegations surrounding corruption, sexual misconduct and workplace violence.
What they're saying: Mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy told Axios that "everyday New Yorkers still expect us to do our jobs every day, and that's what we're doing" — pointing to new affordable housing construction, investment in early childhood programs and modernizing trash pickup.
- "They care about whether their streets are safe, whether they can afford to live here, what the quality of life is, and that's why every single day, that's our top focus."
What's next: Some prominent NYC pols — all Adams rivals so far — have already called on him to resign.
- Adams faces a tough Democratic primary when he's up for re-election next year. Multiple serious contenders have already entered the race.
- Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — ousted by sexual harassment allegations and bogged down by a series of COVID-era controversies — is eyeing the race as the venue for a potential comeback.
But for now, Adams is still mayor. This week, he's hosting New York City's first-ever "Rat Summit."
