New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted, sources say
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges that are still sealed, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The charges against Adams, a Democrat, were still sealed late Wednesday, according to the people, who spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The indictment was first reported by the New York Times. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to comment.
“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. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
The indictment marks a stunning fall for Adams, a former police captain who won election nearly three years ago to become the second Black mayor of the nation’s largest city on a platform that promised a law-and-order approach to reducing crime.
The resignation of Eric Adams’ chief legal adviser is the latest sign of instability in his administration as it deals with multiple federal investigations.
For much of the last year, Adams has faced growing legal peril, with multiple federal investigations into top advisors producing a drumbeat of subpoenas, searches and high-level departures that has thrust City Hall into crisis.
He had repeatedly said he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing, dismissing speculation that he would face charges as “rumors and innuendo,” and vowing as recently as Wednesday afternoon to stay in office.
“The people of this city elected me to fight for them, and I will stay and fight no matter what,” Adams said.
The federal investigations into his administration first emerged publicly on Nov. 2, when FBI agents conducted an early morning raid on the Brooklyn home of Adams’ chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
An attorney for Eric Adams confirmed the FBI seized phones and an iPad from the mayor as part of an investigation into his campaign fundraising.
At the time, Adams insisted he followed the law and said he would be shocked if anyone on his campaign had acted illegally. “I cannot tell you how much I start the day with telling my team we’ve got to follow the law,” he told reporters at the time.
Days later, FBI agents seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he was leaving an event in Manhattan. The interaction was disclosed several days later by the mayor’s attorney.
Then on Sept. 4, federal investigators seized electronic devices from the city’s police commissioner, schools chancellor, deputy mayor of public safety, first deputy mayor and other trusted confidants of Adams in and out of City Hall.
The unexplained and unexpected search comes as the administration of Mayor Eric Adams reels from other federal law enforcement investigations.
Federal prosecutors declined to discuss the investigations, but people familiar with elements of the cases described separate inquiries involving senior Adams aides, relatives of those aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling of the police and fire departments.
A week after the searches, Police Commissioner Edward Caban announced his resignation, telling officers that he didn’t want the investigations “to create a distraction.” About two weeks later, Schools Chancellor David Banks announced that he would retire at the end of the year.
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams said he had named Tom Donlon, a retired FBI official, as the interim police commissioner.
Adams himself insisted he would keep doing the city’s business and allow the investigations to run their course.
Over the summer, federal prosecutors subpoenaed Adams, his campaign arm and City Hall, requesting information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government.
Adams spent 22 years in the New York City Police Department before going into politics, first as a state senator and then as Brooklyn borough president, a largely ceremonial position.
He was elected mayor in 2021, defeating a diverse field of Democrats in the primary and then easily beating Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, a Republican, in the general election.
After more than two years in office, Adams’ popularity has declined. While the city has seen an increase in jobs and a drop in certain categories of crime, the administration has been preoccupied with efforts to find housing for tens of thousands of international migrants who overwhelmed the city’s homeless shelters.
The Girl Scouts in this troop, in one of New York’s emergency migrant shelters, know hardship and loss. But at meetings at least, they get to be kids.
There has also been a steady drip of accusations and a swirl of suspicion around people close to the mayor.
The Manhattan district attorney brought charges against six people — including a former police captain long close with Adams — over an alleged scheme to funnel tens of thousands of dollars to the mayor’s campaign by manipulating the public matching funds programs in the hopes of receiving preferential treatment from the city. Adams was not accused of wrongdoing in that case.
Adams’ former top building safety official, Eric Ulrich, was charged last year with accepting $150,000 in bribes and improper gifts in exchange for political favors, including providing access to the mayor. Ulrich pleaded not guilty and is fighting the charges.
In February, federal investigators searched two properties owned by one of Adams’ close aides, Winnie Greco, who had raised thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the city’s Chinese American communities and later became his director of Asian affairs. Greco hasn’t commented publicly on the FBI searches of her properties and continues to work for the city.
When agents seized electronic devices from Caban, the former police commissioner, in early September, they also visited his twin brother, James Caban, a former police officer who runs a nightlife consulting business.
Agents also took devices from the schools chancellor; his brother Philip Banks, formerly a top NYPD chief who is now deputy mayor for public safety; their brother Terence Banks, who ran a consulting firm that promised to connect businesses to government stakeholders; and from First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who is David Banks’ domestic partner.
All denied any wrongdoing.
While those investigations swirled, federal authorities also searched the homes of newly named interim police commissioner, Thomas Donlan, and seized materials unrelated to his police work. Donlon confirmed the search and said it involved materials that had been in his possession for 20 years.
Izaguirre and Neumeister write for the Associated Press.
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