New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted following a federal corruption investigation, becoming the first mayor in New York’s history to be charged while in office.
Adams’ indictment remains sealed and it is unclear what charges he faces, according to a Sept. 25 report from The New York Times which cited sources familiar with the matter.
He is likely set to face court on Sept. 26, where the indictment will be unsealed and the scope of the charges revealed.
Adams maintained his innocence in a statement to the New York Post, saying that he would fight to prove 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,” Adams said.
“If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
Adams said he would not step down as Mayor even if he were to be charged, despite calls for his resignation from other senior US lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Adams has been a long-time proponent of cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, taking his first three paychecks in BTC and Ether and promising to make New York the “center of the cryptocurrency industry” when he was elected mayor in 2021.
The charges come following a November 2023 FBI investigation where agents raided the home of Adam’s chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and searched Adam’s personal electronic devices over suspected illegal donations from the Turkish government in 2021.
The investigation also focused on whether Adams pressured officials in the New York City Fire Department into signing off on a new high-rise consulate building for officials from the Turkish government despite alleged safety concerns with the design.
Additionally, investigators probed whether Adams accepted expensive flights on Turkish Airlines, a carrier partially owned by the Turkish government.
Adams reiterated his pro-crypto stance in the wake of FTX’s collapse in November 2022, which saw crypto prices fall to their lowest levels in several years.
During Adams’ time in office, the New York state government passed a law implementing a two-year moratorium on proof-of-work mining using non-renewable energy sources, which he spoke out against before it passed
