By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in a five-count criminal indictment unsealed on Thursday, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to face criminal charges.
The counts include bribery, wire fraud, two counts of soliciting contributions by foreign nationals, and conspiracy to commit each of those crimes, covering alleged misconduct over nearly a decade. Adams, 64, could face up to 45 years in prison. He said he was innocent and pledged: "I will continue to do my job as mayor.
" The following are some accusations in the indictment, and have not been proven in court: * Adams sought and accepted illegal contributions from foreign nationals to his successful 2021 mayoral campaign in exchange for favorable treatment. He planned to solicit more illegal contributions for his 2025 reelection bid, according to the indictment. * Illegal contributions were funneled through U.
S.-based "straw" donors who falsely certified they provided the money. Many donations were arranged by a senior Turkish diplomat.
Prosecutors said among those involved were an Adams staffer, the owner of a Turkish university, and a promoter who sought to leverage Adams' "considerable fame" in Turkey to benefit clients. * Adams defrauded New York City and stole more than $10 million of public funds by applying for matching funds for his 2021 campaign based on the illegal contributions, according to the indictment. The funds were intend.