CNN
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with at least one federal criminal count, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The New York Times was first to report news of the indictment.

The indictment follows a months-long federal investigation into campaign fundraising and foreign influence violations. The charges against him are not currently public knowledge.

Adams has previously denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly reiterated his calls on his campaign and board members to follow the law.

“I always knew that if I took a stand for New Yorkers, I would be a target — and a target I was. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with all my might and spirit,” Adams said Wednesday night in response to the news.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the mayor is expected to have several days to turn himself in.

Adams was at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, when news of the charges broke. He was described as fearless and determined, according to a source familiar with the situation.

CNN has reached out to attorneys for the mayor and City Hall for comment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

The indictment is a dramatic fall from grace for the mayor of America’s largest city and a shocking accusation against one of the country’s most prestigious offices.

Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office in January 2022 and has cast himself as the new face of the Democratic Party, promising a tough approach to crime and a commitment to revitalizing the city after the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, he has struggled to address the city’s biggest challenges, including the migrant crisis and subway safety concerns, and has faced criticism for his late-night partying and conflicts over city spending, particularly on education.

Now, nearly three years into his first term, Adams faces at least one federal charge that jeopardizes his ability to remain in office and threatens the future of his political career.

When asked Tuesday if he was considering resigning, Adams said, “I’m stepping down, not quitting.”

The mayor’s legal troubles escalated in September when top members of his City Hall staff, including two deputy mayors, a senior adviser and the education chancellor, were served search warrants and their phones seized by federal investigators.

Edward Caban, the former commissioner of the New York Police Department, also saw his phone seized as part of a separate federal investigation and was forced to resign. Days later, Lisa Zornberg, the top lawyer at City Hall and one of Adams’ most ardent defenders, abruptly resigned. In a terse, two-sentence resignation letter, Zornberg said she had concluded she “could no longer effectively serve” in her position. A week later, Schools Chancellor David Banks announced he would retire at the end of the year and step down from his post as leader of the nation’s largest public school system, just days after his home was raided by federal investigators who seized his cellphones while executing a federal search warrant.

The first sign of trouble for Adams came nearly a year ago when federal investigators targeted his top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and executed a search warrant at her home, multiple law enforcement officials previously told CNN. Suggs has not been charged with any crimes.

According to sources, investigators with the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit have seized phones, computers, tablets and files belonging to Suggs. Agents have also executed numerous search warrants at other homes and businesses in the New York area in connection with the investigation, officials said.

One of the companies searched in November 2023 was Brooklyn-based KSK Construction Group, law enforcement officials said. The construction and development company has built apartments and condominiums across the city.

A CNN review of campaign finance records identified at least 11 employees at KSK Construction Group who donated a total of $13,950, with individual contributions ranging from $1,200 to $1,500, all on the same day, to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign. CNN has reached out to the donors for comment.

CNN also reached out to Erden Arkan, who is listed as the owner of KSK Construction Group and is also listed as a donor to the Adams campaign. New York City campaign finance records show that Arkan donated $1,500.

As part of their investigation, FBI agents seized Adams’ cellphones several days after raiding Suggs’ home.

After Adams gave a speech in Manhattan, FBI agents “walked right up to him,” asked his NYPD security detail to step aside, then climbed into Adams’ city-issued SUV, sources previously told CNN. There, agents served him a warrant to seize his electronic devices, the sources said.

The seizure marked a dramatic escalation in the federal investigation into whether foreign money was funneled into his campaign, which now falls squarely on the Democratic mayor.

Adams has consistently maintained his innocence and has insisted that he and his associates have followed the law despite the growing investigation.

The mayor emphasized his ties to the city’s Turkish-American community, saying he had visited the country at least six or seven times.

Adams traveled to Turkey at least twice as president of the Brooklyn borough. The Turkish consulate paid for an August 2015 trip, during which he signed a sister city agreement with Istanbul’s Üsküdar borough.

Adams does not have to resign in light of the allegations, although the political pressure could become untenable. If he were to step down, the job of America’s most prominent mayor would go to the city’s public defender, Jumane Williams, until a special election is held.

This is a developing story and will be updated.