Bussiness
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted after a federal corruption probe, The New York Times first reported on Wednesday.
With this indictment, Adams has become the first sitting New York mayor to face criminal charges. The charges have not yet been made public because the indictment remains sealed, per The Times.
Federal prosecutors are set to reveal the indictment details on Thursday, the outlet reported.
The mayor has been the center of a long-running investigation into fundraising efforts during his 2021 campaign — and whether it involved money from foreign nations like Turkey.
Last year, agents also raided the home of Adams’ fundraising chief, Brianna Suggs. They seized three iPhones, two laptops, and a manila folder labeled “Eric Adams,” The Times reported in November.
Adams maintained that he was innocent in a Wednesday statement to the New York Post.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams, 64, said in the statement.
“If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit,” he added in his statement to the New York Post.
Adams is now facing pressure to resign from within his party. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for one, called for him to step down on Wednesday.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an X post.
“The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function,” she wrote. “Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.”
“For the good of the city, he should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Representatives of Adams didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside business hours. Representatives of the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
This story is developing, please check back for more updates.