AP sources: New York Mayor Eric Adams indicted

A grand jury has indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams on federal criminal charges, two people familiar with the matter confirmed.

The indictment detailing the allegations against Adams, a Democrat, was still sealed late Wednesday, according to the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The US attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment on the allegations. Details of the indictment were first published by the New York Times.

"I always knew that if I held my position for the people of New York, I would be a target -- and I have been," Adams said in a statement that implied he had not been informed of the indictment. "If I am accused, I am innocent and I will fight it with every bit of my strength and spirit."

It was not immediately clear when the charges would be announced or when Adams might have to appear in court.

The indictment marks a stunning fall for Adams, a former police captain who won election nearly three years ago to become the second black mayor of the nation's largest city on a platform that promised to enforce law and order in a fight to reduce crime.

For much of the past year, Adams has faced mounting legal jeopardy, with multiple federal investigations into his top advisers producing a series of binding subpoenas, searches and high-level resignations that have plunged the City Council into crisis.

He has repeatedly said he is unaware of any wrongdoing and vowed Wednesday afternoon to remain in office.

The first mayor accused while in office

Adams is the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted while in office. If he resigns, he will be replaced by the city's Public Advocate, Juman Williams, who will then schedule a special election.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, has the power to remove Adams from office. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

Hours before the charges were announced, US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Adams to resign, the first time a Democrat in a prominent national position has done so. She cited federal criminal investigations into the mayor's administration and a series of unexpected departures of top city officials.

"I don't see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on the social platform X.

Adams reacted with derision, dismissing Ocasio-Cortez's remark as moralizing.

News of federal investigations into the Adams administration first became public on November 2, 2023, when FBI agents conducted an early morning raid on the Brooklyn home of Adams' chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.

At the time, Adams insisted he was following the law and said he would be "shocked" if anyone on his campaign acted illegally. "I can't tell you how much I start the day telling my team that we have to follow the law," he told reporters at the time.

Days later, FBI agents seized the mayor's phones and iPad as he left an event in Manhattan. The interaction was revealed to the public a few days later by the mayor's lawyer.

Then, on September 4, federal investigators seized electronic devices from the city's police commissioner, the city's superintendent of education, the deputy mayor for public safety, the first deputy mayor and other Adams confidantes in and out of City Hall.