New York City Mayor Eric Adams vows to fight charges in criminal indictment
(This story was updated to add new information.)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing a federal indictment just weeks after authorities raided the homes of his top aides in what appeared to be a major corruption investigation at the heart of the nation's biggest city.
In a video statement released late Wednesday, Adams, a former police captain who won the mayoral election nearly three years ago, said "it is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes."
Adams called the charges "entirely false" and vowed to fight the indictment with "every ounce of my strength, and my spirit."
"If I am charged, I know I am innocent," Adams said. "I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth."
The charges against Adams, 64, were unclear as the indictment remained sealed on Wednesday night, The New York Times and FOX News reported, both citing sources with knowledge of the matter. The indictment is likely to be unsealed Thursday when Adams may appear in court, according to the Times.
The indictment was first reported by the Times.
The mayor's administration has been under federal scrutiny over the last year for a separate probe on possible illegal foreign donations from Turkish officials during Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign. The Times previously reported on Monday that federal prosecutors submitted grand jury subpoenas to City Hall, Adams, and his campaign in July demanding information related to Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
Shortly before the indictment was announced, Adams appeared at a reception in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art attended by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The indictment would make Adams the first New York City mayor to be criminally charged while still in office.
According to the city's charter, the "mayor may be removed from office by the governor upon charges." If he were forced out of office, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become mayor of the nation's largest city with a population of about 8.3 million.
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New York lawmakers call for Eric Adams to step down
In response to the indictment, New York leaders and officials called for Adams’ resignation. He acknowledged the immediate calls on Wednesday but promised to stay in office.
"But I have been facing these lies for months," Adams said. "Make no mistake: you elected me to lead this city—and lead it I will."
Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called on Adams to step down.
"I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City," Ocasio-Cortez said on X, formerly Twitter. "The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration."
Jessica Ramos, a New York state senator from Queens and mayoral candidate for the 2025 election, said the charges “feel like a profound betrayal.”
“Weeks of FBI raids, indictments, and resignations have shaken our city,” Ramos said in a statement. “Right now, New Yorkers feel frustrated and abandoned. This, above all else, is unforgivable.”
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, also running for mayor next year, echoed Ramos' sentiment.
"Mayor Adams, like all New Yorkers, deserves due process, the presumption of innocence, and his day in court. However, it is clear that defending himself against serious federal charges will require a significant amount of the time and attention needed to govern this great city," Lander said on X. "The most appropriate path forward is for him to step down so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands."
State Senator Zellnor Myrie said it was a "sad day" for the city, adding that the news of the indictment is "especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor."
"We need a leader who is fully focused, without distraction, on the enormous challenges we face — from housing affordability to public safety," Myrie said in a statement. "A mayor under the weight of a serious indictment can no longer do that — and today I am calling on him to resign."
Indictment comes amid political upheaval, series of resignations
In November 2023, the FBI seized Adams’ mobile phones, and computer, and raided the home of his campaign treasurer. And in recent weeks, other top city officials have resigned amid multiple federal corruption investigations.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned on Sept. 12, a week after investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan seized his mobile phones. Caban was among several of the mayor's aides and confidantes who received federal search warrants earlier this month, including Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice Philip Banks III, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and Schools Chancellor David Banks.
Days after Caban stepped down, Adams' chief legal advisor Lisa Zornberg resigned, saying she could "no longer effectively serve" in the position. Last week, two former New York City Fire Department chiefs became the latest high-ranking city officials to be named in the series of federal investigations and arrested on charges of bribery and corruption.
On Tuesday, Banks said he would retire at the end of December. The announcement came weeks after the Times reported his phones were seized by federal agents.
Contributing: Dan Morrison, Eduardo Cuevas, Joey Garrison, and Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY; David M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.com; Asher Stockler, The Journal News; Reuters