New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted in a federal corruption investigation, The New York Times first reported on Wednesday.
The charges have not yet been made public because the indictment remains sealed, according to the Times.
Federal prosecutors are expected to reveal details of the indictment on Thursday, the media outlet reported.
The mayor has been at the center of a long-running investigation into his fundraising activities during his 2021 election campaign and whether they involved money from abroad, including Turkey.
Investigators also searched the home of Adams’ fundraising chief, Brianna Suggs, in 2023. They seized three iPhones, two laptops and a manila folder bearing the name “Eric Adams,” The Times reported in November.
“I am convinced that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes, and if so, those charges will be completely false and based on lies,” Adams said in a video statement provided to The Times and the New York Daily News.
Adams added that the charges were “not surprising.”
“I always knew that if I stood up for you, I would be a target, and I became a target,” Adams, 64, said in the video. “For months, leaks and rumors have been directed at me in an attempt to undermine my credibility and make me incriminated.”
CNN, citing multiple anonymous sources, reported that the mayor was at his official residence, Gracie Mansion, when news of the indictment broke.
Lawyers for Adams met with senior Justice Department officials last week to discuss ways to resolve the case without filing criminal charges, CNN reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
Related articles
Adams said in a statement to the New York Post on Wednesday that he is innocent and intends to fight the charges “with all his might and spirit.”
Adams is now facing pressure from within his party to resign, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called on him to step down on Wednesday.
“I don’t know how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a post on X.
“The proliferation of resignations and vacancies threatens the functioning of government,” she wrote. “Continual vetting will make it impossible to recruit and retain competent administrative staff.”
“For the sake of the city, he should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Others calling for his resignation include former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is running for mayor in 2021, and current New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.
State Sens. Zellnor Miley of Brooklyn and John Liu of Queens also said Adams should resign.
Stringer, Lander and Miley are vying to unseat Adams in next June’s Democratic primary, in what promises to be an uphill battle for the embattled incumbent.
New York State Governor Kathy Hockle has the power to remove Adams from office if he doesn’t resign, The New York Times reported. If that happens, the city’s public defender, Jumaane Williams, would replace Adams as acting mayor.
A representative for Adams did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment sent outside business hours, and a representative for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
