Eric Adams Is Indicted After Federal Corruption Investigation
Mr. Adams becomes the first sitting mayor of New York City to face federal criminal charges following the indictment.
Eric Adams, a retired police captain elected nearly three years ago as New York City’s 110th mayor on a platform to reduce crime, has been indicted in a federal corruption investigation, according to sources familiar with the case.
The indictment remained sealed as of Wednesday night, leaving the exact charges against Mr. Adams unclear. However, at least in part, the investigation has reportedly centered on whether Mr. Adams and his campaign collaborated with the Turkish government to accept illegal foreign donations.
Once unsealed, the indictment will mark Mr. Adams, a Democrat, as the first sitting New York City mayor to face federal charges. The case is expected to send shockwaves through the nation's largest city, further destabilizing Mr. Adams's already troubled administration just months before a fiercely contested mayoral primary.
Suppose the indictment includes allegations of conspiring with foreign nationals. In that case, it will have coincided with the city hosting global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, including Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In a video statement released Wednesday, Mr. Adams maintained a defiant stance, asserting his innocence.
“I always knew that standing up for New Yorkers would make me a target — and that’s exactly what I’ve become,” he said. “If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
Brendan R. McGuire and his colleague Boyd M. Johnson III, both of WilmerHale and representing the mayor, declined to comment.
Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI, and the city’s Department of Investigation — the agencies leading the investigation into Mr. Adams — also declined to comment.
Even before his indictment, Mr. Adams's administration had been severely weakened by not only the investigation into him and his campaign but also three separate probes targeting some of his highest-ranking aides and advisers. These investigations, marked by a series of searches and seizures, further destabilized City Hall and hindered his ability to govern effectively.
Calls for Mr. Adams's resignation have been mounting in recent weeks. Earlier on Wednesday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York stated that she could "not see how Mayor Adams can continue" in his role.
The news of the indictment on Wednesday night only intensified the criticism. Scott Stringer, the former New York City comptroller and one of the Democrats challenging Mr. Adams in next year's mayoral primary, remarked that the mayor was overseeing "a broken-down train wreck of a municipal government" and called for his resignation.
The indictment marked a dramatic reversal for Mr. Adams, 64, a former state senator and Brooklyn borough president, who had taken office just as the city was recovering from the pandemic and bracing for a significant influx of migrants from the southern border.
The investigation, led by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Manhattan, began in 2021 and centered, at least in part, on potential foreign donations. It also examined whether Mr. Adams had pressured Fire Department officials to approve the opening of a new high-rise consulate building for the Turkish government despite safety concerns.
Investigators were also looking into whether Mr. Adams had accepted expensive flights and upgrades on Turkish Airlines, which is partially owned by the Turkish government. Additionally, they sought information about a Brooklyn construction company run by Turkish Americans and a small university in Washington, D.C., with connections to Turkey.
Mr. Adams has stated that he has visited Turkey at least six times and met President Erdogan during his time as Brooklyn borough president.
The investigation remained secret until late last year when an FBI search of his chief fundraiser’s home brought it to public attention. In November, federal agents searched the home of Brianna Suggs, seizing two laptops, three iPhones, and a manila folder labeled "Eric Adams." Ms. Suggs has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Just days later, in a dramatic moment on a Greenwich Village street, FBI agents ordered the mayor’s security detail to step aside, enter his SUV, and confiscate his electronic devices.
On the day agents searched Ms. Suggs's home, they also searched the New Jersey residences of Rana Abbasova, the director of protocol in the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and Mr. Adams’s former liaison to the Turkish community, as well as Cenk Öcal, a former Turkish Airlines executive and member of the mayor’s transition team. Neither Ms. Abbasova nor Mr. Öcal has been publicly accused of any wrongdoing.
However, the investigation into Mr. Adams has already impacted the careers of Ms. Suggs and Ms. Abbasova. After the search of her home, Ms. Suggs stepped down as the mayor’s fundraising chief, according to Mr. Adams. City Hall also placed Ms. Abbasova on leave after determining she had “acted improperly,” a mayoral spokesman said.
Weeks later, Ms. Abbasova turned against the mayor and began cooperating with the investigation. Her lawyer, Rachel Maimin, a former federal corruption prosecutor and partner at Lowenstein Sandler, could not be reached for comment.
Until federal investigators closed in on him, Mr. Adams’s life had appeared to be a classic New York success story. Raised by a working-class mother in Brooklyn and Queens, he overcame dyslexia and early encounters with the police, eventually joining the NYPD himself.
During his time with the NYPD, Mr. Adams rose to prominence by leading two organizations representing Black officers: the Guardians Association and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.
In these roles, he frequently criticized police leadership for their policies and treatment of Black officers, yet he still advanced to the rank of captain, successfully passing the promotional exams.
Mr. Adams faced four internal investigations during his time in the department, including one for associating with individuals deemed criminals, notably boxer Mike Tyson, who had been convicted of rape. Mr. Adams has maintained his innocence, framing the investigations as retaliation for his activism.
His first attempt at a political career, a Congressional run at age 33, was unsuccessful. A decade later, in 2006, he was elected to the State Senate, beginning a seven-year career that included three re-election victories.
In 2010, New York's inspector general found that Mr. Adams and other Senate Democrats had fraternized with lobbyists and received substantial campaign contributions from individuals connected to bidders for a video lottery contract at Aqueduct Racetrack. Although the findings were referred to federal prosecutors, no charges were filed.
During his fourth Senate term in 2013, Mr. Adams ran successfully for Brooklyn borough president, a role he used as a platform for his eventual mayoral campaign. Early in his tenure, he organized a fundraiser for a new nonprofit, One Brooklyn, which had not yet registered with the state. Records show that the invitation list was drawn from donor rolls of nonprofits run by his predecessor.
A city Department of Investigation inquiry found that Mr. Adams and One Brooklyn appeared to have improperly solicited funds from groups with, or soon to have, business before the borough president's office.
Mr. Adams's aides told investigators these missteps occurred early in his administration and pledged future compliance with the law.
Throughout his political career, Mr. Adams harbored aspirations of becoming New York City’s mayor, a goal he achieved by courting diverse constituencies and one he has described as divinely destined.
As mayor, Mr. Adams pledged to bring "swagger" back to a city still recovering from the pandemic. He filled City Hall with friends and associates, many of whom were more notable for their loyalty than for their policy expertise. Some had troubled pasts.
However, his 33-month tenure has been overshadowed by scandals. In July 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg charged six individuals, including a retired police inspector who had both worked with and socialized with Mr. Adams, with conspiring to funnel illegal donations into his mayoral campaign.
Two months later, Mr. Bragg charged Eric Ulrich, the mayor’s former senior adviser and buildings commissioner, with conspiracy and accepting bribes. Mr. Bragg alleged that Mr. Ulrich used his city-funded position to "line his pockets." Mr. Ulrich has pleaded not guilty.
More recently, federal agents seized the phones of several top officials in city government, including the police commissioner, the school's chancellor, the first deputy mayor, the deputy mayor for public safety, and a senior adviser who has faced four sexual harassment lawsuits this year. These searches and seizures were part of separate federal criminal investigations running concurrently with the inquiry into Mr. Adams. None of these officials has been charged with a crime.
While Mr. Adams will become the first sitting mayor to face criminal charges, he is not the first to be embroiled in a criminal investigation. Jimmy Walker, a flamboyant mayor known as Beau James, ruled over Jazz Age New York City but resigned amid a corruption scandal and subsequently fled to Europe.
Mayor William O’Dwyer, the only modern mayor besides Mr. Adams to have served as a police officer, resigned just months into his second term during what his obituary described as “the biggest police scandal in the city’s history.”
More recently, federal prosecutors investigated Bill de Blasio, Mr. Adams’s predecessor, regarding his dealings with donors, but ultimately brought no charges. Additionally, Rudolph W. Giuliani was indicted this year, more than two decades after his tenure as mayor, in connection with a Georgia case focused on efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
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