Eric Adams makes history as first Mayor to be indicted while governing New York City

 

 New York Times

Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal criminal charges, according to people with knowledge of the matter, and will be the first mayor in modern New York City history to be charged while in office.

The indictment is sealed, and it was unclear what charge or charges Mr. Adams, a Democrat, will face or when he will surrender to the authorities. Federal prosecutors were expected to announce the details of the indictment on Thursday.

The mayor, in a videotaped speech posted online late Wednesday, adopted a combative tone, saying any charges against him would be “entirely false” and “based on lies.” He said he had been targeted by the federal authorities because he had “stood my ground” for New Yorkers.

Mr. Adams, 64, also made it clear he had no intention of resigning, which he is not required to do under the City Charter. He said he would request an “immediate” trial and would “fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength, and my spirit.”

The indictment comes a little less than a year after federal agents searched the home of Mr. Adams’s chief fund-raiser and seized the mayor’s electronic devices as he left a public event in Manhattan.

The mayor and his aides have said he was cooperating with the authorities, and Mr. Adams has continued to insist that he has done nothing wrong.

Mr. Adams, a retired police captain, was elected New York’s 110th mayor in 2021 after a campaign built on a pledge to reduce crime, bring professionalism to City Hall and tap his personal brand of “swagger.”

But he staffed top positions with friends and loyalists, and his inner circle became engulfed by federal investigations. This month, federal agents seized phones from numerous top city officials, including a top aide to Mr. Adams, the schools chancellor and the police commissioner. The commissioner, Edward A. Caban, and the schools chancellor, David C. Banks, later resigned.

Mr. Adams, the second Black person to lead the nation’s largest city, was already facing a competitive primary in his run for re-election next year, and the indictment was likely to prompt more challengers to enter the race.

Here’s what else to know:

• The indictment raised immediate questions about Mr. Adams’s ability to serve as mayor, adding to the growing pressure for him to step down. Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove him from office.

• Mr. Adams made it clear in his statement that he had no immediate plans to resign. If he changes his mind, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, will become the city’s acting mayor.

• Several federal corruption investigations have reached top people around Mr. Adams, with some of the highest-ranking officials in his administration coming under scrutiny. Read more about the investigations here. Here is a timeline of the key moments leading up to the indictment.

• The swarm of federal inquiries in the lead-up to the indictment of Mr. Adams plunged his administration into a free fall, further diminishing his political stature. It raised doubts about his re-election chances next year and his ability to engage with other political leaders. Read more about the challenges in City Hall here.

At around 11:30 p.m., Frank Carone, the former City Hall chief of staff, exited Gracie Mansion. In a grey suit, Carone described the mayor as “strong” and said he would not respond to calls to resign. “Like anybody else, he is innocent until proven guilty and he deserves his day in court,” Carone said. In response to questions about whether Adams would or should be replaced, he spoke sternly. “There is one mayor of New York City, and that is Eric Adams.”