New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on bribery and wire fraud charges

New York City Mayor Eric Adams will appear in court on Friday to face five felony charges, including bribery, fraud and illegal solicitation of foreign campaign contributions.

The indictment unsealed on Thursday alleges that Adams sought and accepted illegal campaign funds and more than $100,000 (£75,000) in luxury travel benefits from Turkish businessmen and an official seeking to gain his influence.

Adams, 64, was a police officer who was elected to lead the US’s most populous city three years ago on a promise to get tough on crime.

The mayor has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed growing calls for him to resign.

Mr Adams’ arraignment, where he will be formally informed of the charges and asked to plead guilty, will appear at noon local time before Magistrate Judge Katherine Parker.

“I’m asking the people of New York to wait to hear our defense before making any decisions,” Adams said at a press conference Thursday.

“I follow the rules, I follow federal law, I don’t do anything that will take part in an illegal campaign.”

The news conference was interrupted by New Yorkers who called Adams a “disgrace” to the city and called for “justice”.

If convicted, the mayor could face up to 45 years in prison.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul – who has the power to remove the mayor from office – said Thursday she was reviewing the charges.

“I’m going to take the time I need to review this case, see what’s involved, but my first responsibility is to make sure that the people of New York and New York State are served,” Governor Hochul said.

The 57-page indictment lays out allegations of corruption and bribery that spanned a decade, starting with his tenure as Brooklyn borough president. The corruption activity continued after he became the mayor, it is said that the documents include international travel.

In one of the alleged text exchanges included in the lawsuit, an Adams employee and a flight attendant discussed where the mayor should stay on a trip to Turkey.

After the flight attendant suggests the Four Seasons, the employee replies “too expensive”.

“Why does he care? He won’t pay,” replied the manager.

“Super,” said the Adams employee.

Prosecutors say the same employee asked the flight attendant to charge Adams a set price for his trip, in order to hide the mistreatment.

“His every move is being tracked right now,” the staffer said, suggesting the mayor be charged $1,000 for the flight to Turkey. “Let’s be a little more realistic.”

In a Thursday press conference, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams alleged that the mayor developed relationships with outsiders to take illegal money for his 2021 campaign.

“In 2023 the mayor renewed this corrupt relationship, he sought other illegal campaigns from some of the foreign sources to support his campaign for re-election,” said Mr. Williams.

The indictment notes that Adams used straw donors — a system used by a person or entity to evade campaign finance limits — to take illegal donations from foreign organizations.

Prosecutors say his campaign also worked and received NYC funds to match small-dollar donations from city residents, totaling more than $10m.

He is also accused of trying to hide benefits he received, hiding gifts on annual disclosure forms and telling an associate to “always” delete messages related to illegal travel and gifts, according to court documents.

Many New York Democrats, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called on Adams to step down.

Others, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have quietly argued that Adams has a right to be presumed innocent.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has denied any connection to political disputes over immigration and denied any connection between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House.

“The DOJ is handling the case independently, he told reporters on Thursday.

Since being sworn in on the first day of 2022, Adams and his colleagues have come under increasing federal scrutiny.

The FBI raided the home of his top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and other members of his campaign last year as part of an investigation believed to center on whether he received illegal donations from the Turkish government and other foreign sources.

In recent weeks, the Adams administration has been hit by the resignations of dozens of top aides as the new investigation heats up. The police commissioner, the health commissioner and the mayor’s senior adviser have all resigned.

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks also announced his plans to resign weeks after investigators seized his phones during a search of the home he shared with his partner, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, on September 4.