NYC Mayor Adams charged on 5 federal counts including bribery in alleged influence scheme

New York City Democrat Mayor Eric Adams has been charged on five federal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

Adams is the first sitting mayor of New York City to be indicted.

The case appears to be connected to a roughly year-long investigation into accepting bribes and illegal campaign funds from foreign sources.

Adams has denied the charges. 

The charges stem from contributions to Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign from "wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” according to the indictment. 

The charges include federal program bribery, receiving campaign contributions by foreign nationals; one count of wire fraud; two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of bribery.

Prosecutors also allege that Adams used a program that matches $250 donations up to $2,000 with public funding to amass about $10 million for his 2021 campaign.

In a news conference outside of Gracie Mansion on Thursday, Adams said he would continue to do his day-to-day duties as mayor. He answered some questions related to the indictment. 

"I follow campaign laws," he said. "We do not participate in straw donors. We do not participate in foreign donors."

Protestors attempted to interrupt the news conference on numerous occasions. Protestor kept yelling including one who shouted: "You're an embarrassment."