Eric Adams becomes first sitting NYC mayor indicted in historic federal probe — claims feds persecuting him over migrant crisis
The Post reported that a grand jury indicted Mayor Eric Adams on charges related to a federal investigation. The defiant CEO claimed he was persecuted for his outspokenness about the city’s migration crisis.
According to sources, US Attorney Damian Williams is expected to unveil the historic indictment – the first against a New York City Mayor who is currently serving – on Thursday. New York Times was the first to report this news.
Sources say that Adams will surrender himself to the authorities by early next week.
Sources say that although the details of the accusations are unclear, they appear to be related to the allegations of illegal money being funneled into his mayoral election campaign by the Turkish government in exchange for the approval of the Turkish Consulate of Manhattan.
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Sources claim that the mayor faces charges of acting as a foreign agent who is not registered after accepting donations from entities abroad.
Adams told The Post that she knew that standing up for New Yorkers would make her a target. And that’s exactly what happened.
“If I’m charged, I’m innocent and I will fight with all my strength and spirit.”
Adams later released a video in which he said that he would not step down, and vowed to “fight this injustice with all my strength and spirit.”
“I will demand an immediate trial to ensure that New Yorkers hear the truth.” New Yorkers already know my story. They know my story. “I have fought injustice all my life,” he said.
“That fight continues as your mayor.” When the federal government ignored our pleas and did nothing to relieve our overloaded shelter system due to its flawed immigration policies, I put New Yorkers before parties and politics.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York which is prosecuting the criminal case declined to comment.
The Post reported that sources expect two other people — Adams’ top fundraiser for his campaign, Brianna Suggs, and Winnie Greco, his director of Asian Affairs — to be named as defendants.
The Post was unable to confirm the identities of at least three other suspects, but The Post expects that they will also be charged.
After the news of the indictment was announced, police set up barriers at the Gracie Mansion and pushed reporters away from the home.
Frank Carone, Adams’ former chief of staff, emerged from the house at 11:50 pm. Carone responded, “Not at any time,” when reporters asked if Adams was distracted by legal troubles.
About a half hour later, we saw three black SUVs leaving the mansion. Their emergency lights were flashing.
The indictment’s relation to the sweeping raids on Sept. 4, which targeted high-profile officials of the Adams administration, is unclear. These raids sent City Hall into chaos for weeks as reports of investigations centered around alleged corruption within the mayor’s inner-circle emerged.
Insiders say that by Wednesday morning, the news had spread about a “senior official” of City Hall who would soon be indicted. This sent staff into panic all day long.
Indictment will be revealed after federal prosecutors demanded that City Hall turn over all communications between the Adams Administration, Turkey and other five foreign countries in the long-running investigation.
The Post reported that Adams’ campaign 2021 had been served subpoenas requesting information about its donations, specifically those with ties to Turkey.
Sources said that a large number of records requests were issued in July, requesting details about all interactions between administration officials and Israel and China, Qatar, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
Adams, City Hall, and his Election Committee were also served grand jury subpoenas in the same month. The feds obtained text messages, documents, and other communication and materials.
Adams has been vocal in criticizing the Biden administration’s soft immigration policy, as the Big Apple has been inundated with over 250,000 migrants since the year 2022. She accuses the federal government of abandoning New York on its own.
He said, “The national Government has turned its rear on New York City,” in early 2023.
He said that the White House should appoint someone who is dedicated to “decompression strategies” at the border.
By 2026, the migrant crisis will cost Gotham upwards of $12 billion. Adams has repeatedly asked Washington to increase funding to Gotham.
I am lost. “I am confused about why, nearly 20 months after the issue was first raised, we are still discussing it and how it has affected the city,” Adams said to Fox 5 in December of 2023.
Since the raid last November on the Brooklyn home of top Adams fundraiser Brianna suggs, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has kept a tight lid on the investigation.
The raid, which was conducted to find evidence of the Turkish government’s and KSK Construction Group’s kickbacks into Adams mayoral campaign through the Williamsburg construction company KSK Construction Group, prompted Hizzoner back from the much-publicized White House Meeting on the migrant crises.
The feds then raided the residences of City Hall employee Rana Abbasova, and Cenk cal, an ex-Turkish Airlines executive who was part of Adams’ transitional team.
On the streets of Manhattan, Adams’s own iPhone and iPad were seized a week later by FBI agents.
In February, FBI agents raided the Bronx home of another aide Winnie Greco. It wasn’t known at the time if the raid was related to the Turkey investigation.
Hizzoner denies any wrongdoing.
Adams, when asked in August about the investigation into the mayoral election campaign, said: “It requires a lot of discipline not to say anything when you know that you have done nothing wrong.”
According to research by The City, this is the first indictment of a New York City Mayor in 170 Years.
All the recent mayors, from David Dinkins and Bill de Blasio, have been subjected to some sort of corruption investigation. But, in all cases, charges were only brought against lower-level officials.
In 1932, former mayor Jimmy Walker resigned while being investigated. He was never charged.
The indictment comes amid a flurry of federal investigations that have been launched against City Hall officials and Big Apple officials. These investigations were revealed in an astonishing series of raids conducted on Hizzoner’s closest political allies, most trusted aides and top lieutenants.
The federal prosecutors are the ones behind most of these investigations, but – like the investigation into the mayoral election – they have been reticent about their aims, possible charges and the way the probes could be linked.
To date, no one has been accused or charged of any wrongdoing.