NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a grand jury on federal criminal charges, two people familiar with the matter said.

The charges against Adams, a Democrat, remained secret Wednesday night, according to sources who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment. The indictment was first reported by The New York Times.

“I always knew that if I took a stand for New Yorkers, I would be a target — and a target I was,” Adams said in a statement that implied he had not been informed of the charges. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with all my might and spirit.”

It was not yet clear when the charges would be made public or when Adams would appear in court.

The charges are a shocking fall for Adams, a former police chief who won election nearly three years ago to become the second black mayor of the nation’s largest city on a platform of pledging to reduce crime through law enforcement.

For much of the past year, Adams has faced mounting legal peril, with multiple federal investigations to top advisers, resulting in a series of subpoenas, searches and departures of high-ranking figures, plunging City Hall into crisis.

He had repeatedly said that he was not aware of any wrongdoing and promised on Wednesday afternoon that he would remain in office.

Adams is the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted while still in office. If he were to resign, he would be replaced by the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, who would then schedule a special election.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

Hours before the charges were announced, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Adams to resign, the first nationally prominent Democrat to do so. She cited the federal criminal investigations in the mayoral administration and a series of unexpected departures of top city officials.

“I fail to see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on the social platform X.

Adams responded with disdain, calling Ocasio-Cortez self-righteous.

The federal investigations into the Adams administration first became public on November 2, 2023, when FBI agents carried out an early morning attack at the Brooklyn home of Adams’ main fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.

Adams insisted at the time that he was following the law, saying that he… “shocked” if anyone in his campaign had acted illegally. “I can’t tell you how many times I start my day by telling my team that we have to follow the law,” he told reporters at the time.

Days later, FBI agents arrived the mayor’s phones and iPad were seized as he left an event in Manhattan. The interaction was made public by the mayor’s attorney several days later.

On September 4, federal investigators seized electronic devices from the city’s police chief, the schools chancellor, the deputy mayor for public safety, the first deputy mayor and other trusted confidants of Adams, both inside and outside City Hall.

Federal prosecutors declined to discuss the investigations, but sources familiar with elements of the case said there were multiple, separate probes involving key Adams associates, family members of those associates, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling of police and fire departments.

A week after the raids, Police Chief Edward Caban announced his resignation, telling officers he didn’t want the investigations to “be a distraction.” About two weeks later, Schools Chancellor David Banks announced he would retire at the end of the year.

Adams himself maintained that he would remain involved in the city’s affairs and allow the investigations to take their course.

Over the summer, federal prosecutors summoned Adams, his campaign partner and City Hall asked for information about the mayor’s schedule, his travel abroad and possible connections to the Turkish government.

Adams spent 22 years in the New York City Police Department before entering politics, first as a state senator and later as Brooklyn’s borough president, a largely ceremonial position.

In 2021, he was elected mayor after defeating a large number of Democrats in the primary. In the general election, he easily defeated Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, a Republican.

After more than two years in office, Adams’ popularity has waned. While the city has seen an increase in jobs and a drop in some crime categories, the administration has been preoccupied with trying to find housing for the tens of thousands of international migrants who have overwhelmed the city’s homeless shelters.

There have also been ongoing accusations and suspicions leveled at people close to the mayor.

The Manhattan district attorney has filed charges against six people, including a former police chief with a longstanding relationship with Adams, over a alleged arrangement to funnel tens of thousands of dollars into the mayor’s campaign by manipulating public matching funds programs in hopes of receiving preferential treatment from the city. Adams was not accused of wrongdoing in that case.

Adams’ former top security official, Eric Ulrich, was indicted last year on charges of accepting $150,000 in bribes and improper gifts in exchange for political favors, including access to the mayor. Ulrich pleaded not guilty and is fighting the charges.

In February, federal investigators searched two homes belonging to one of Adams’ closest associates, Winnie Greco, who had raised thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the city’s Chinese American communities and later became his director of Asian affairs. Greco has not publicly commented on the FBI searches of her homes and continues to work for the city.

When officers seized electronic devices from Caban, the former police chief, in early September, they also visited his twin brother, James Caban, a former police officer who runs a nightlife consulting firm.

Agents also seized devices from the schools chancellor; his brother Philip Banks, a former top NYPD officer who is now deputy mayor for public safety; their brother Terence Banks, who ran a consulting firm that promised to connect businesses with government stakeholders; and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, David Banks’ partner.

All denied any wrongdoing.

While these investigations were ongoing, federal authorities also searched the homes of recently appointed interim police chief Thomas Donlan and seized materials that had nothing to do with his police work. Donlon confirmed the search and said it involved material he had had in his possession for 20 years. He did not specify what the investigation was about, but a person familiar with the investigation said it involved classified documents from Donlon’s years with the FBI. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.