New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is fond of responding to his detractors with : “Let your haters be your waiters when you sit down at the table of success.” The Department of Justice now seems to have a few things to say about Adams’ success. In a 57-page, five-count indictment unsealed Thursday, federal prosecutors accused him of taking bribes from foreign nationals and doling out favors over a span of nearly a decade.
Others in his orbit have also been investigated by federal authorities, leading to several high-profile resignations this month — among them police commissioner Edward Caban and mayoral legal adviser Lisa Zornberg. Adams said the charges were “entirely false” and “based on lies,” adding that he looks forward to defending himself. “I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he said.
Adams, a former captain with the New York Police Department, was elected mayor of the country’s largest city in 202 on a pro-NYPD platform, and is seeking reelection in 2025. The indictment paints a picture of a man who is comfortable accepting luxuries either for free or little cost, allegedly using fake paper trails and cash to conceal them, and performing various favors in return. It also accuses him of using a donation-matching program aimed at giving New Yorkers a stronger voice in local elections to steal some $10 million in public funds.
Here’s what we learned about the accusations: Prosecutors say foreign nationals.