New York City Mayor Eric Adams is reportedly facing federal criminal charges, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Adams, 64, was elected nearly three years ago, pledging to reduce crime in the nation’s most populous city.
However, both he and several high-ranking officials in his administration have come under increasing scrutiny due to multiple federal corruption investigations.
Although the indictment remains sealed, Adams would become the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to be charged while in office.
In a video statement released late Wednesday, Adams vowed to fight the charges and continue serving as mayor, asking New Yorkers for “prayers and patience.”
“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he says in the video, adding “I am innocent” and he plans to request an “immediate trial so New Yorkers can hear the truth”.
He also took on the flurry of calls for him to resign.
“Now, if I am charged many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case.
“I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers would be concerned that I cannot do my job while I face accusations, but I have been facing these lies for months.”
Federal prosecutors are expected to unseal the indictment on Thursday, at which point Mayor Eric Adams will make his initial court appearance, according to CBS News.
These charges come nearly a year after federal agents seized Adams’ electronic devices and searched the home of his chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
It was later revealed that the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan was investigating whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign had conspired with the Turkish government to channel illegal donations into his campaign.
Additionally, The New York Times reported on Monday that prosecutors had subpoenaed the campaign and the mayor’s office for information regarding donations linked to five other countries: Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
Despite increasing calls for his resignation, Adams has insisted that he will remain in office. Earlier on Wednesday, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent figure in left-leaning New York, joined those calling for him to step down.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “For the good of the city, he should resign.”
Ocasio-Cortez pointed out a recent “wave of resignations and vacancies” that she claims threatens the operational capacity of the city government.
Reports of Adams’s impending indictment emerge just weeks after federal agents seized electronic devices belonging to three close associates: schools chancellor David Banks, his brother Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, and his fiancée Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.
In an unexpected announcement on Tuesday, David Banks revealed that he would resign from his position at the end of the year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan is also investigating Terence Banks, another brother, in connection with a potential bribery scheme involving his consulting firm and city contracts.
Additionally, prosecutors are examining bribery allegations against the twin brother of former New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned earlier this month shortly after federal agents confiscated his phone.
Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon had his residences searched last Friday.
Over the past two weeks, both the mayor’s chief legal counsel and the city health commissioner have also stepped down.
Adams, who is the second Black individual to serve as New York City’s mayor, faces an increasing number of Democratic challengers as he prepares for his re-election campaign next year.
New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, a close ally who has not yet commented on the indictment, holds the authority to remove Adams from office.
Should Adams’s term end prematurely, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, would be next in line to serve as acting mayor.