NYC Mayor Eric Adams expects to face criminal charges
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges, the New York Times first reported Wednesday.
The latest: Adams said in a video address to New Yorkers that was shared with outlets including Axios it's "now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes" and if so, they'd be "entirely false, based on lies."
- He said he intends to request an immediate trial and ruled out resigning.
Why it matters: It wasn't immediately clear what criminal charges the former NYPD captain faces and the indictment reportedly remained sealed on Wednesday night, but Adams would be the first NYC mayor to face criminal charges while serving in office.
The intrigue: Brendan McGuire, of WilmerHale and a lawyer for Adams, told the NYT they had not been informed of the charges on Wednesday night.
State of play: While the nature of the charges was not immediately clear, officials had been conducting four separate investigations in connection with Adams and high-ranking members of his administration.
- Adams had been facing calls to resign over the probes, including from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) who said on X Wednesday before the indictment news broke that he should step down for "the good of the city."
- However, Adams said in his video address that he had been "facing these lies for months" and "yet the city has continued to improve."
- He added: "You elected me to lead this city and lead it I will."
The big picture: The investigations emerged last November, when the FBI searched the home of the mayor's then-chief fundraiser, reportedly as part of a probe into whether Adams' election campaign had illegally conspired with Turkish groups to get foreign donations.
- There had been several other developments in the investigations this month. FBI agents had earlier raided the homes of two of Adams' top aides last week, including former New York City police commissioner Edward Caban's, ABC 7 reported. He resigned from his post a week later.
- The Justice Department, the IRS and New York City's Department of Investigations have also launched probes into potential corruption, but no criminal charges had been announced against the officials embroiled in the investigations into Adams and his inner circle.
What they're saying: "I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became," Adams said in a statement to Axios via text message.
- "If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit."
- The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the matter.
Flashback: Adams was elected mayor of NYC in November 2021 after pitching himself as a moderate Democrat who opposed the "defund the police" movement, while seeking to strike a balance between fighting crime and doing away with racist policing practices as mayor.
What we're watching: Adams has no legal obligation to resign, though Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) could remove him from office if he's charged with a crime.
- NYC public advocate Jumaane Williams would become acting mayor until a special election is called to elect his successor if Adams were to resign before his term ends.
- Several candidates had already vowed to challenge Adams in next year's NYC mayoral Democratic primary.
Go deeper: New York City's web of scandals
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
