New York City Mayor Eric Adams has become the first in the city’s history to be indicted on federal charges while in office in an alleged fraud conspiracy.
U.S. prosecutors charged Mr Adams with accepting illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel accommodations from Turkish nationals seeking to influence him.
In a 57-page indictment, prosecutors detailed an alleged scheme stretching back to 2014 of support for Mr Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign which allegedly saw him gifted free rooms at opulent hotels and meals at high-end restaurants.
In return, Mr Adams pressured city officials to waive safety inspections and allow the country's new 36-story Turkish consulate to open, prosecutors claimed.
Mr Adams, 64, a former police officer who rose to the rank of captain, denied wrongdoing and said he would fight the charges. He said he would not step down.
Mr Adams has said he will remain in office, describing the charges he faces as "entirely false, based on lies."
"I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target — and a target I became," Adams said. "I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit."
Federal investigators had seized Adams' electronic devices nearly a year ago as part of an investigation focused, at least partly, on campaign contributions and Adams' interactions with the Turkish government.
The US attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment.
Mr Adams has made reducing crime a focus of his administration.
However, he has faced growing legal peril, with multiple federal investigations honing in on his top aides and his campaign.
In the last two weeks alone, the leaders he appointed to oversee the country's largest police force and largest schools system have announced their resignations.
The indictment comes against the backdrop of the United Nations General Assembly, which has brought dozens of world leaders to New York, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The federal investigations into Adams administration first emerged publicly on November 2, 2023, when FBI agents conducted an early morning raid on the Brooklyn home of his chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
At the time, Adams insisted he followed the law and said he would be "shocked" if anyone on his campaign had acted illegally.
Days later, FBI agents seized the mayor's phones and iPad as he was leaving an event in Manhattan.
Then on September 4, federal investigators seized electronic devices from the city's police commissioner, schools chancellor, deputy mayor of public safety, first deputy mayor and other trusted confidantes of Adams both in and out of City Hall.
Federal prosecutors declined to discuss the investigations, but sources described multiple, separate inquiries involving senior Adams aides, relatives of those aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling of the police and fire departments.
A week after the searches, the city's police commissioner, Edward Caban, announced his resignation. About two weeks later, Schools Chancellor David Banks announced he would retire at the end of the year.
Adams himself insisted he would keep doing the city's business and allow the investigations to run their course.
Over the summer, federal prosecutors subpoenaed Adams, his campaign arm and City Hall, requesting information about the mayor's schedule, his overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government.
Adams spent 22 years in New York City's police department before going into politics, first as a state senator and then as Brooklyn borough president.
He was elected as mayor in November 2021 — a victory he has repeatedly said was ordained by God.
In addition to the sprawling inquiries launched by Manhattan prosecutors, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are investigating another one of Adams' close aides, Winnie Greco, who had raised thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the city's Chinese American communities and later became his director of Asian affairs.
Greco hasn't commented publicly on the FBI searches of her properties and continues to work for the city.
Hours before the charges were announced, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Adams to resign, the first nationally prominent Democrat to do so. Adams reacted with scorn, dismissing Ocasio-Cortez as self-righteous.
Adams, who is expecting a tough primary election next year, faced additional calls to resign once the indictment became public on Wednesday night, including from many of his declared or expected Democratic challengers in the mayoral race.
Brad Lander, the city's comptroller, said the indictment marked "a sad day for New Yorkers." State Senator Zellnor Myrie added that it was "especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor."
