New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal charges, sources say

Federal agents Thursday morning again seized a cell phone belonging to Mayor Eric Adams, a development that came after news that he had been indicted on corruption allegations.

The latest seizure was early in the morning in Manhattan at Gracie Mansion.

The indictment is a stunning turn for an ex-cop elected New York City mayor on a law-and-order platform, but whose mayoralty has been dogged by investigations into cronyism, graft and bribery to enrich his friends and himself.

The specifics of the charge or charges, contained in a federal indictment, remained sealed Wednesday night, according to the sources, who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The indictment was expected to be made public later Thursday.

Adams, a Democrat, is the first mayor since the five boroughs were incorporated into New York City to be criminally charged while in office. Soon after news of the indictment broke, Adams assailed the investigation and the torrent of leaks about it, declaring, "enough."

"It is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes," Adams said in the video. "If so, these charges would be entirely false, based on lies. But they would not be surprising. I always knew that if I stood my ground, for all of you, that I would be a target, and a target I became."

Deputy for communications Fabien Levy said that Adams, the city's second Black mayor, had not been informed of the indictment as of 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday. 

The investigations into Adams and his circle have reportedly focused on potentially illegal straw donations, contributions from the Turkish government and potentially others, flight upgrades for Adams to the highest class of seats aboard Turkish Airlines, and municipal contracts given to his friends, as well as other potential wrongdoing.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which has been conducting most of the investigations, declined to comment. 

A lawyer who is representing a witness in the campaign contribution aspect of the investigation, but did not want to be identified, said the focus of one part of the probe involves potential federal charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. This is based on documents the lawyer said he saw.

The lawyer said the investigation was focused on whether straw donors were used to raise funds for Adams’ election. Under such practices, donors would be secretly reimbursed by others for their political contributions.

Adams' challengers in the mayoral race, which is next year, pounced on the news and called for him to resign. Adams, who was elected in 2021, is running for reelection.

"Eric Adams is indicted. There is simply zero chance that the wheels of government will move forward from this full steam ahead. Instead, we are left with a broken down trainwreck of a municipal government," said a statement from Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, who is eyeing a run for mayor.

Another challenger, Brad Lander, the current city comptroller, said in a statement: "Trust in public institutions — especially City Hall — is essential for our local democracy to function and for our city to flourish. The hardworking people of New York City deserve a city government and leadership they can trust. Right now, they don’t have it."

And Zellnor Myrie, a state senator who's looking to unseat Adams, said in a statement: "This is a sad day for the city, and especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor."

If Adams does resign, the city's public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would become mayor. Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. There would be a special election.

Avi Small, Hochul's press secretary, did not immediately respond to an email asking whether she'd remove Adams.

Investigations into Adams dramatically escalated last year, when his electronic devices were seized by the FBI.

During the summer, the U.S. attorney's office issued subpoenas to City Hall, Adams' campaign and Adams himself, reportedly seeking information about Adams' schedule, his travel abroad and links to the Turkish government.

And earlier this month, federal agents seized electronic devices from several top aides to Adams, including his schools chancellor, police commissioner, senior adviser, first deputy and a deputy for public safety.

Within days, the police commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned. There is reportedly an investigation into Caban and his twin brother, who is also a former cop, revolving around a potential protection racket focused on bars and nightclubs. 

On Tuesday, the schools chancellor, David Banks, announced he would step down by the end of 2024.

That resignation came less than two weeks after the mayor's chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, a staunch defender of Adams at press conferences, quit her role. She wrote in a resignation letter: "I can no longer effectively serve in my position."

Earlier this week, at a news conference without Zornberg, or any replacement for her, Adams said he would not be resigning.

"I’m stepping up," Adams said, "not stepping down."

With Janon Fisher, Anthony M. DeStefano and AP

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.