New York mayor Eric Adams ‘indicted on federal corruption charges’

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has been indicted on federal criminal charges after a corruption investigation, according to reports.

The alleged indictment against Adams, who was elected nearly three years ago on the promise to crack down on crime in America’s largest city, is still under seal but its existence was reported by the New York Times and Associated Press on Wednesday evening. Federal prosecutors are expected to unveil the specific charges on Thursday.

In a statement, Adams, 64, said: “I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that 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.”

It comes after several City Hall officials and aides, all with ties to Adams, were placed under investigation by federal prosecutors in Manhattan.

One probe appeared to be examining whether Adams’s 2021 mayoral campaign allegedly conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations.

Another centred on a possible bribery scheme involving a government-relations consulting company run by individuals with ties to City Hall.

 

 

Amid these inquiries, several major figures from the mayor’s office have resigned, including the schools chancellor, the police commissioner and the chief legal counsel.

News of the indictment against Adams hastened already-growing calls for the mayor to resign.

Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn who is running for mayor in next year’s election, said: “We need a leader who is fully focused, without distraction, on the enormous challenges we face.”

Brad Lander, the city comptroller and another challenger, said: “The most appropriate path forward is for him to step down so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands.”

On Wednesday, the US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the first high-profile Democrat to demand Adams’s resignation.

“The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening government function,” she said. “Non-stop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.

“For the good of the city, he should resign.”