New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted in federal investigation

New York Mayor Eric Adams is facing charges in federal court, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

Adams, 64, was elected mayor of the nation’s most populous city nearly three years ago on a promise to reduce crime.

But he and a number of high-ranking officials around him are facing increasing attention in the wake of several federal corruption investigations.

The charges have not yet been made public, but Adams, 64, would be the first mayor in the city’s history to be charged while in office.

“I always knew that if I spoke out for New Yorkers, I would be a target – and I have been,” Adams said in a statement to the BBC.

“If I am accused, I am innocent and I will fight against it with all my strength and determination.”

CBS News reported that federal prosecutors are expected to issue the charges on Thursday when Adams appears in court for the first time.

The reported charges come less than a year after Federal agents seized Adams’ electronic devices and searched the home of Brianna Suggs, his top fundraiser.

It was later revealed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan was investigating whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign team had conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal donations into the campaign.

The New York Times reported Monday that prosecutors had subpoenaed the campaign team and the mayor’s office to provide information on five other countries: Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan.

Adams has insisted on staying in office even as more politicians are calling for his resignation. On Wednesday morning, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a popular figure in left-leaning New York – joined that list.

“I don’t see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “For the good of the city, he should resign.”

Ocasio-Cortez referred to a recent “flood of Resignations and vacancies“, which they believed threatened the functionality of the city administration.

Adams’ alleged indictment comes weeks after Federal agents seized electronic devices from three people close to him – Schools Chancellor David Banks, his brother, Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, and his fiancée, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, David Banks announced that he would step down from his position at the end of the year.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan is investigating another Banks brother, Terence, for a possible bribery scheme related to his consulting firm and city contracts.

Prosecutors in that office are also currently investigating bribery charges against the twin brother of former New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned earlier this month, weeks after his phone was seized by federal agents.

Last Friday, the homes of Deputy Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon were searched.

In the last two weeks, the mayor’s legal counsel and the city’s health officer have also resigned.

Adams, only the second black man to lead New York state, faces a growing list of Democratic challengers ahead of his re-election next year.

New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, a close ally of the president who has not yet commented on the charges, has the power to remove Adams from office.

If Adams’ term ends early, Jumaane Williams, the city’s ombudsman, would be the next candidate for the office of acting mayor.