New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been criminally indicted, becoming the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to face such charges. Federal prosecutors announced the indictment late Wednesday, September 26. NBC News reported that the charges mark a pivotal moment in Adams’s tumultuous tenure, which high-level resignations and a series of federal investigations have plagued.
Adams allegedly sought and accepted illegal “nominee” or “straw” contributions. By “smuggling their contributions” to Adams’ campaign through the straw donors and actors from overseas, Adams “defeated federal laws that serve to prevent foreign influence on U.S. elections,” according to the indictment.
In 2018, when Adams had announced his plans to run for New York City mayor, he allegedly accepted and sought illegal campaign contributions to his upcoming mayoral campaign, the indictment says.
Businesses also circumvented the city’s ban on corporate contributions “by funneling their donations through multiple employees,” according to the indictment.
In a video statement posted online, Adams fiercely denied the allegations, calling the charges “entirely false” and “based on lies.” He asserted that federal authorities had targeted him because of his commitment to standing up for New Yorkers. Adams vowed to fight the charges in court. He made it clear he had no plans to resign.
The indictment follows months of escalating federal scrutiny. Earlier this month, federal agents searched the homes of several of Adams’s top officials and seized phones, including that of Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned on September 12. Authorities also confiscated the phone of Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former police officer who now runs a nightclub security business. Investigators reportedly are looking into whether bars and clubs in Manhattan and Queens paid James Caban to act as a police liaison and if those establishments received special treatment from local precincts.
The indictment adds to a series of ongoing federal probes into Adams’s administration, which has already seen numerous high-ranking officials come under investigation. These probes began last year when federal agents seized the mayor’s electronic devices after searching the home of his chief fundraiser.
Calls for Adams to step down have intensified after the charges. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, who have launched campaigns for next year’s mayoral race, have publicly called for the mayor to resign. “The hardworking people of New York City deserve a government and leadership they can trust. Right now, they don’t have it,” Lander posted on X.
The New York Working Families Party, a major progressive group, also demanded Adams’s resignation, stating that “he has lost the trust of the everyday New Yorkers he was elected to serve.”
Adams, a former NYPD captain, was elected in 2021 on promises to restore public safety and reinvigorate the city post-COVID-19. His administration, however, has been criticized for handling issues like the migrant crisis and subway safety, as well as for his late-night socializing and disputes over city spending, particularly on education. Despite these challenges, Adams has maintained a defiant stance, denying all wrongdoing.
Several news outlets reported that Adams is expected to have several days to turn himself in, and is not expected to appear in court on Thursday. Prosecutors have informed his attorneys that he will be summoned to surrender later.
In his video statement, Adams remained resolute: “I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers, I would be a target—and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
