The Envoy

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on Wednesday night following an FBI investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign.

Charged with bribery and corruption, Adams officially became the only NYC sitting Mayor to be indicted.

“I’m stepping up, not stepping down,” said Adams earlier this week as he drowned in calls to resign from fellow Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Adams, a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former NYPD captain, has been shrouded in corruption allegations for most of his mayoral term. This week, that veil was lifted.

Adams is not the only city official under fire. Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban resigned Sept. 12, after federal investigators seized his iPhone, and the mayor’s chief legal advisor Lisa Zornberg resigned Sept. 14.

Federal agents confiscated the cell phone of Schools Chancellor David C. Banks in connection with a separate bribery investigation, the full scope of which remains uncertain. On Sept. 24 he pledged to resign by the end of December. 

A brief overview of the investigation

The criminal investigation into Adams campaigns’ illegal connection with the Turkish government hit headlines in November of 2023, when the FBI raided the home of his chief campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs. The agents emerged with three cell phones, two laptops and a folder labeled “Eric Adams.” 

That same week, FBI agents surprised Adams by stopping his convoy on a public street in the Lower West Side to confiscate his iPhone.

The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, charges him with accepting lavish gifts from the Turkish government in exchange for the fire department’s approval of a new Turkish consulate.

He is also charged with two counts of “solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national,” as Adams “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions,” according to the indictment document. 

Then there are the “straw” or “nominee” donations. The indictment claims foreign nationals illegally funneled contributions through nominal donors who “falsely certified they were donating their own money.”  

The Turkish official who facilitated many of these “straw” donations, also provided Adams and his inner circle with free plane tickets, hotel rooms and luxury entertainment in Turkey.

In a statement echoing the rhetoric used by former President Trump regarding his own indictment, Adams said, “I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers, I would become a target—and a target I became.”

Elizabeth Marcello, an urban policy and planning fellow at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, disagrees, recalling his past controversies serving as the Brooklyn Borough President.

“You obviously have not stood up for New Yorkers,” Marcello said. “Even when he was borough president there were low level shenanigans.”

Some of these controversies included parking permit abuse and blocking an active garage with his car, of which Marcello said is “indicative of someone who doesn’t care about the law.” 

What comes next?

His 2025 reelection bid was already in jeopardy. A Manhattan Institute poll in April found only 16% of likely voters favored Adams, but that has not dissuaded him. 

“A year from now, I see myself again raising my right hand and being called the mayor of the city of New York,” Adams said on Tuesday. Adams barely edged out a victory in the 2021 Democratic primary, beating then commissioner of sanitation Kathryn Garcia in the final round by 7,197 votes. 

Marcello believes that the victory teaches tough lessons regarding the public perception of women in politics.

 “For starters, there is a fear of electing competent women, but it says something deeper about those who feel empowered in the NYC electorate,” Marcello said. “How do we reform so everyone feels involved?”

Adams positioned himself against progressive incumbent Bill De Blasio in 2021; he was tough on crime and frugal on social programs. Like past years, his 2025 budget increased the police budget ($62.4 million raise in 2025) and battled the city council on the educational funding, an effort that directly impacted CUNY, his alma mater.

“He forgot about us and took care of his friends,” said Andrew Cerbone, a student at John Jay. “Hopefully our next mayor will actually care about funding schools.”

Multiple Democratic politicians have already declared their intention to contest Adams in the primary. Brad Lander, comptroller and long time critic of Adams CUNY budget cuts declared his candidacy earlier this summer.

Scott Stringer will attempt to improve on his fifth-place finish in the 2021 race, which was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct. Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, is running on universal after school programs; while state Senator Jessica Ramos says she plans to focus on improving the quality of life in NYC and lowering the cost of living.

If Adams resigns, or Governor Kathy Hochul removes him, New York City public advocate and Brooklyn College alumni Jumaane Williams will serve as acting mayor. In his 2021 race for public advocate, he was backed by ​​the Professional Staff Congress, a union for CUNY staff. Williams also published a report in 2019  addressing the “systematic underfunding” of CUNY.

“Hopefully Adams is done hurting us,” said Hunter student Alex Papas. “But I’ll still pray for him.”