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New York Mayor Eric Adams indicted amid corruption probe

Retired police captain becomes first sitting mayor of New York to face federal charges.

New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a Swiss National Day flag raising ceremony at Bowling Green on August 1, 2024, in New York [Julia Nikhinson/AP]Published On 26 Sep 202426 Sep 2024

New York Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted following a federal corruption investigation, the New York Times has reported.

The indictment against Adams, one of the most powerful city leaders on the planet, is sealed and it is unclear what charges he will face, the Times reported on Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The investigation has focused in part on whether Adams, a retired police captain, and his campaign conspired with Turkey to receive illegal foreign donations, the Times said.

In a statement, Adams denied wrongdoing.

“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target – and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit,” he said.

The development marks a stunning fall for Adams, a former NYPD captain who won the 2022 mayoral race in a landslide after pledging to crack down on rising crime and restore New York’s “swagger” in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The son of a house cleaner, Adams cultivate cast himself as the city’s “first blue-collar mayor” and “future of the Democratic Party.”

Source: Al Jazeera