Federal agents seize NYC Mayor Adams' phone during Gracie Mansion search
Federal agents arrive at Gracie Mansion
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted by a grand jury on criminal charges Wednesday evening following escalating federal criminal investigations against his administration – nearly a year after FBI agents seized his phones, according to multiple reports. FOX 5 NY's Robert Moses has the details.
NEW YORK CITY - Federal agents arrived on Thursday morning at NYC's Gracie Mansion and seized the phone of New York City Mayor Eric Adams following an indictment last night by a grand jury.
According to FOX 5 NY’s Robert Moses, a black SUV with a federal law enforcement officers’ placard right on the dashboard was seen outside Gracie Mansion.
Moses said several officers got out and walked up the driveway and into Gracie Mansion.
A statement from Alex Spiro, the lawyer for Mayor Adams, reads: "Federal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle (again) and take Mayor Adams phone (again). He has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court. They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in."
What we know about the investigation
"It is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes," Adams said. "If so, these charges will be entirely false based on lies."
In a statement last night, Adams remained defiant after news broke he became the first sitting mayor to be federally charged. Damien Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, is expected to discuss details of the indictment today, according to reports.
Adams is expected to surrender to authorities early next week for his first court appearance, the New York Post reported.
What is Eric Adams accused of?
Though the indictment has yet to be unsealed, Adams is expected to be charged with conspiring with the Turkish government to accept illegal foreign donations.
According to the news organization THE CITY, prosecutors are charging him with acting as an unregistered foreign agent because they believe he took actions as mayor after receiving donations from foreign sources.
Prosecutors have been looking into whether he pressured the fire department to fast-track approvals for the Turkish Embassy on the East Side. Prosecutors have also been probing whether he accepted expensive upgrades on Turkish Airlines, which is partially owned by that country's government.
"I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit," Adams said.
Brianna Suggs, the mayor's former chief fundraiser whose home the FBI raided last year and Winnie Greco, his current director of Asian affairs, whose home the feds raided earlier this year, will also appear in the indictment, according to the post – but it's unclear if they will be charged.
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In his statement last night, the mayor intimated that the federal government is retaliating against him for his criticism of its handling of the migrant crisis.
"I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target -- and the target I became," Adams said.
Calls for the mayor to resign had grown louder even before news of the indictment landed, but he insists he is not going anywhere.
"You elected me to lead this city and lead it I will," Adams said. "I humbly ask for your prayers and your patience as we see this through."
The mayor says he is prepared to go to trial if that's what it takes.