New York City Mayor Eric Adams Faces Allegations of Corruption Charges
New York City Mayor Eric Adams faced a federal indictment in September 2024, alleging conspiracy, wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign contributions, and bribery. The charges were related to accusations of illegal contributions to Adams's mayoral campaign and other alleged corrupt activities within his administration.
However, in April 2025, the federal judge presiding over the case dismissed the indictment against Adams with prejudice, meaning the case was closed permanently without a ruling on the merits.
Prior to these charges, Adams had already garnered a reputation as a national laughing stock due to his criminal levels of incompetence, patronage hires, and preference for the prestige of the office over the actual work of formulating policy.
Adams, born in Brooklyn in 1960, has a colourful past. Before his political career, he was a member of the 7-Crowns gang and was known as "a tough little guy" who ran errands for local hustlers. He moved to Queens with his family when he was eight and attended college while working as a mechanic and mailroom clerk at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
The indictment claimed that Adams accepted business-class flights and luxury hotel stays from wealthy Turkish businessmen and a government official without disclosing them. It also alleged that he routed foreign donations through US citizens to make the gifts appear legal and attempted to conceal the wrongdoing in a "clumsy cover-up."
Adams's former chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, has faced multiple bribery and conspiracy charges, involving sums exceeding $75,000 in bribes, alleged steering of city contracts, and other corrupt practices during her tenure in the administration. However, Adams himself has not been charged beyond the federal indictment that was dismissed.
Adams has also been associated with several friends who have been prosecuted for financial crimes. Additionally, he has been accused of trying to hide his actual residence during his run for mayor, and he explained away a property ownership discrepancy by claiming his "homeless" accountant was going through "difficult times."
Despite the indictment's dismissal, Adams continues to face calls from fellow Democrats for him to resign. The indictment's dismissal has not quelled the rising chorus of criticism against Adams, as the allegations of corruption and impropriety continue to cast a shadow over his administration.
[1] New York Post, "Federal judge dismisses indictment against Mayor Eric Adams", April 2025. [2] New York Daily News, "Eric Adams' former chief adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin faces bribery and conspiracy charges", March 2025. [3] The Wall Street Journal, "Eric Adams accused of hiding his residence during mayoral run", February 2024. [4] The New York Times, "Eric Adams' associates face financial crimes charges", January 2024. [5] CNN, "Eric Adams indicted on federal charges", September 2024.
- The federal judge's decision to dismiss the indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in April 2025, despite the allegations of corruption and impropriety, hasn't stopped the rising chorus of criticism against his administration in the realm of policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news.
- The specific charges against Mayor Adams, including conspiracy, wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign contributions, bribery, and accepting business-class flights and luxury hotel stays without disclosure, fall under the category of crime-and-justice, employing the complexities of policy-and-legislation to navigate the legal waters of his trial.
