FBI agents at the Gracie Mansion, the home of New York Mayor Eric Adams, will face federal charges on Thursday after news broke, multiple people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
CNBC previously reported Adams has been chargedAnd the indictment is sealed.
The charges were not immediately clear. Spokesmen for the FBI and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
The Adams administration was already reeling from a streak High-profile resignations Amid at least four federal investigations.
But the revelation that New York City’s mayor is facing criminal charges represents a dramatic windfall for Adams, a former NYPD captain who took office three years ago on a promise to tackle crime and disorder in America’s largest city.
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In a statement released Wednesday night, Adams, 64, vowed to fight the charges.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers, I would be a target — and I would become a target,” he said. “If I am charged, I am innocent and will fight this with every ounce of my strength. And spirit.”
Following the FBI raid on Adams’ home, his attorney, Alex Spiro, said agents were about to seize his phone a second time.
“They send a dozen agents if we’ve happily turned over a phone,” said Spiro, who dismissed the law enforcement move as “an attempt to (re)create a scene.” The FBI declined to comment.
The Adams administration has faced questions about several federal probes for months.
One of the investigations is believed to focus on whether Adams’ mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources. As part of that investigation, the FBI raided a home in Brooklyn last year Adams’ chief fundraiser.
Federal investigators are also looking into whether Adams pressured the city’s fire commissioner to approve a new building to house the Turkish embassy despite safety concerns.
Adams was Brooklyn’s borough president when he approached then-Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro shortly after winning the Democratic mayoral race in 2021, according to sources familiar with the matter. Adams encouraged Nigro to evaluate the Turkish government’s claim that the building had not yet been opened because fire department officials had refused to sign its security of occupancy.
Adams’ phones were seized as part of the investigation, and FBI agents have questioned Nigro as a witness at least twice, sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. (Nigro declined to comment.)
Federal investigators this month searched the homes and seized the phones of several top officials close to Adams. Police Commissioner Edward Capan, one of those whose phones were seized, resigned on Sept. 12.
Authorities also seized the phone of Capan’s twin brother, James Capan, a former police officer who owns a nightclub security business. Federal investigators are looking into whether bars and clubs in Manhattan and Queens paid James Capan to act as a police liaison, and whether local precincts gave those clubs special treatment.
The Adams administration also faces a challenge Public corruption investigation And another federal investigation led to raids on homes owned by Adams’ former director of Asian affairs.
Before news of the federal charges broke Wednesday, Adams was at a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that was also attended by President Joe Biden. Adams also appeared on local television to take questions directly from the New York audience.
The expected impeachment leaves city government in an awkward position, said Douglas Muccio, a longtime Baruch College political science professor who retired last year.
“Who is responsible? What’s the policy direction?” Muzzio said. “The city agencies are kind of rudderless, with so many people resigning already.”
Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called for Adams’ resignation.
“I don’t see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez told X. “The flood of resignations and vacancies threatens the functioning of the government. Non-stop investigations make it impossible to recruit and retain qualified management. He must resign for the good of the city,” he said.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running for mayor, also urged Adams to step down.
“Mayor Adams, like all New Yorkers, deserves due process, the presumption of innocence and his day in court.” Lander said in X. “However, it is clear that defending himself against serious federal charges will require a significant amount of time and attention to govern this great city. His resignation is the most appropriate path forward in order for New York City to fully acquire and focus its leadership demands.”
But in a videotaped statement he released late Wednesday, Adams vowed to stay on as mayor, saying any allegations against him were “absolutely false and based on lies.”
“Make no mistake, you elected me to lead this city and I will lead it,” Adams added.
Public Advocate of the City, Jumane WilliamsAdams will serve as interim mayor if he steps down. Williams called the news of Adams’ pending charges “incredibly serious.”
“As the facts emerge, the attorney general needs to say more to the people of New York City, and right now, he’s focused on how best to restore New Yorkers’ trust, confidence and stability in city government,” Williams added.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, has not called on him to resign.
“Governor Hochul is aware of these news reports and is monitoring the situation,” said his press secretary, Avi Small. “It would be premature to comment further until this matter is confirmed by law enforcement.”
