NYC Mayor Eric Adams Indicted in Federal Corruption Investigation; is accused of accepting improper campaign contributions

NEW YORK (WABC) – In a 57-page, five-count indictment unsealed Thursday morning, Mayor Eric Adams is charged with bribery, wire fraud and accepting improper campaign contributions.

Adams is specifically accused of bribery, solicitation of illegal foreign campaign contributions, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud – charges that could subject the mayor to significant prison time if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that Adams received free and heavily discounted flight upgrades worth more than $100,000, as well as campaign contributions from straw donors, some of which helped him qualify for more than $10 million in matching public campaign funds .

“Mayor Adams accepted these donations knowing full well that they were illegal and intended to buy influence,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. According to the indictment, the mayor received first-class flights and overnight stays in luxury hotels without disclosing the gifts, as required by law. “Year after year he kept the public in the dark, claiming he received no gifts,” Williams added.

RELATED | What is Mayor Eric Adams accused of? Read the indictment

The mayor is also accused of intervening in New York Fire Department proceedings to benefit foreign interests. In one case, Adams allegedly pressured fire inspectors to approve the opening of a Turkish consulate building despite security concerns, all in exchange for personal favors.

Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from voting in U.S. elections, a safeguard designed to protect the democratic process. Williams detailed how Adams, aware of these restrictions, “directed his associates to pursue this illicit money” not only during his 2021 mayoral campaign but also after he took office, allegedly rekindling the same relationships to further his efforts to finance re-election.

The alleged conduct dates back to Adams' time as mayor and his time as Brooklyn Borough President. The indictment includes photos of fancy hotel rooms and other perks the mayor allegedly accepted.

“We’re not surprised,” Adams said as he urged New Yorkers to wait for his defense.

During his comments outside Gracie Mansion, Adams and other speakers, including former NAACP national president Hazel Dukes, battled hecklers from Black Lives Matter NY calling for his resignation.

Standing next to his client, defense attorney Alex Spiro called the charges against Adams “a fake case” that criminalizes common airline upgrades.

“We’re talking about a total of $26,000,” Spiro said.

The lawyer said there were emails in which the mayor said “clearly no foreign money.” He said the flight costs cited by federal prosecutors amounted to an “airline upgrade.”

Spiro has asked the judge to set the mayor's arraignment and initial appearance for Monday or Tuesday.

The unsealing of the indictment came hours after federal agents entered Mayor Eric Adams' official residence early Thursday and seized his phone, hours before the indictment was made public.

About a dozen agents were spotted at Gracie Mansion, some carrying bags as they entered through the east gate accompanied by NYPD officers. They spent at least an hour at the mayor's residence.

“Federal agents showed up at Gracie Mansion this morning to make a spectacle (again) and steal Mayor Adams’ phone (again),” Spiro said. “He has not been arrested and is looking forward to his day in court. They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would like to drop it off.”

Adams is now the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted while in office. If he resigns, he would be replaced by the city's public advocate, Jumaane Williams, who would then call a special election.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove the mayor, said she “carefully reviewed” the charges Thursday in what she called “an extraordinarily difficult day for New York City.”

While she didn't call on Adams to resign, she said, “Now it's up to Mayor Adams to show the city that he can lead.”

She added that as she considers her options and responsibilities as governor, she expects the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and “find an appropriate path forward to ensure that the People of New York City are well served by their leaders.”

“We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is stable and accountable leadership at all levels of government,” she said.

Events leading to the indictment of the mayor

Adams, the cop-turned-politician, along with members of his inner circle, spent nearly a year in the shadows of the federal investigation.

His cellphones have been confiscated and in recent weeks the homes of some of his closest associates have been searched by federal agents working on several related corruption investigations.

The mayor accepted the resignation of Edward Caban, his hand-picked police commissioner, two weeks ago after authorities issued a subpoena for his phones.

The mayor's chief attorney, Lisa Zornberg, resigned. This week, Schools Chancellor David Banks announced plans to retire at the end of the year. Banks also turned his phone over to federal authorities.

RELATED | Timeline of events leading up to the indictment of Mayor Adams

The phones of Banks' younger brothers, Philip, the deputy mayor for public safety, and Terence, were also confiscated. The phone of David Banks' fiancée, Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, was also confiscated.

Adams said that as a former police officer, he always followed the rules. He also said he had no knowledge of “wrongdoing” within his government.

He has repeatedly said he was unaware of any wrongdoing and dismissed speculation that charges would be brought against him as “rumors and innuendo.”

The federal investigation into his administration first became public knowledge on November 2, 2023, when FBI agents conducted an early morning raid on the Brooklyn home of Adams' top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.

At the time, Adams insisted he was following the law and said he would be “shocked” if anyone on his campaign had acted illegally. “I can't tell you how many times I start the day telling my team that we have to obey the law,” he told reporters at the time.

Days later, FBI agents seized the mayor's phones and iPad as he left an event in Manhattan. The interaction was disclosed by the mayor's attorney several days later.

Other investigations focused on city contracts and enforcement of rules for bars and clubs.

Adams was only the second African American to lead the nation's largest city and was hailed as the vanguard of a new generation of Democratic leaders who could both support law enforcement and chart a progressive course out of a city-ravaging pandemic.

He has led the city through a remarkable decline in violent crime after a COVID-era surge that led business leaders and residents to complain that New York is collapsing in the bad old days of the 1980s.

ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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