New York City Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday to five federal criminal charges of accepting bribes, wire fraud and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, as the Democrat resists mounting calls from within his own party to resign. "I am not guilty, your honor," Adams, 64, told U.S.
Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker when she asked for his plea at his first appearance in the case in Manhattan federal court in Lower Manhattan. Who is Eric Adams? One of six children, Adams grew up in Brooklyn to a single mom who cleaned houses. Adams tells the story of a time police beat him as a teenager , which inspired him to join NYPD, hoping to reform it from within.
He became an outspoken officer on the force before becoming its captain. In 2006, Adams was elected as state senator and served four terms until he was elected Brooklyn borough president in 2013. When he won the city's mayoral election in 2021, he became only the second Black man to assume the office.
Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team. Adams announced his mayoral campaign in 2020, promising to lower crime, given his background as a police officer, and to prioritize public health when the city was facing the height of the COVID pandemic. A moderate Democrat, Adams has called himself the " Joe Biden of Brooklyn.
" What are the charges? The 57-page indictment details five federal criminal allegations against Adams, including: Federal prosecutors claim Adams secretly solicited .
