Two people familiar with the matter said Wednesday night that New York Mayor Eric Adams is expected to face federal charges by prosecutors as early as tomorrow. The charges are unknown at this time, and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the matter.
Mr. Adams becomes the first sitting New York City mayor to face criminal charges. Adams said he would fight the charges.
Case Against Adams
One of the investigations is trying to determine whether Adams’ mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources. In conjunction with this, the Brooklyn home of Adams’ chief fundraiser was the subject of an FBI raid last year. The mayor also allegedly received free flights and flight upgrades from Turkish Airlines.
There is also an investigation that is probing whether Adams pressured the city’s fire commissioner Daniel Nigro to approve a building permit for the new Turkish Consulate. The department was holding off evaluating the property due to questions about the safety of its occupancy.
Mayor’s Office Rocked
Investigators recently searched the homes of several top officials close to Adams. They also seized phones belonging to Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who subsequently resigned on September 9.
Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former police officer who owns a nightclub security business, is also implicated in the scandal. According to sources familiar with the matter, the investigators are trying to determine whether James Caban was paid to act as a police liaison for bars and clubs in midtown Manhattan and Queens and whether local precincts then afforded those clubs special treatment.
Calls for Adams to Resign
Several prominent New York elected officials called on the mayor to resign. Those include Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is also running for mayor, Emily Gallagher, a New York State Assemblywoman from North Brooklyn, and Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a state senator who represents parts of Manhattan. But there is still no word from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
It also raises questions about who is in charge at city hall with all of the desertions due to the probe. Some question what the city’s policy-making apparatus is at this time.
Adams, for his part, claims his innocence. “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.”
