Eric Adams first sitting NYC mayor to be indicted by grand jury: sources

Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a grand jury on charges connected to a federal probe, sources told The Post — as the defiant mayor claimed he was being persecuted by the federal government for speaking out about the city’s migrant crisis.

The historic indictment — the first for a sitting New York City mayor — is expected to be unsealed Thursday by US Attorney Damian Williams, according to the sources. The news was first reported by The New York Times.

Adams will surrender to authorities early next week, sources said.

“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a statement to The Post.

“If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

In a video statement released later, Adams said he wouldn’t step down and pledged to “fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

“I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth. New Yorkers know my story. They know where I come from. “I have been fighting injustice my entire life,” he continued.

“That fight has continued as your elder. Despite our police, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.”

A representative for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.

Sources told The Post that two others — Adams top campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs and his Director of Asian Affairs Winnie Greco — are expected to be named in the indictment.
At least three others are also expected to be charged, however, The Post could not immediately confirm their identities.

Following news of the indictment, cops set up barriers outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s home, and forced reporters back from the house.

Details about the exact approval accusations remained unclear, but are believed to be connected to allegations of the Turkish government illegally funneling money into his mayoral campaign in exchange for the Turkish consulate in Manhattan, according to sources.

It’s also uncertain how the indictment is related to a sweeping set of Sept. 4 raids that targeted several high-profile Adams administration officials, who sent City Hall into a weeks-long tailspin as news reports emerged of investigations focused on alleged corruption by the mayor’s inner circle.

By Wednesday morning, word had spread that a “senior” City Hall official would soon be dictated, sending staff into a panic throughout the day, insiders said.

Eric Adams indicted: Live updates after NYC biggest hit with indictment

The indictment’s unveiling will come after federal prosecutors recently demanded City Hall cough up all communications between the Adams administration, Turkey and five other foreign countries amid the long-running probe.

Adams’ 2021 campaign had previously been served with subpoenas for information on its campaign donations — specifically those that had ties to Turkey, sources told The Post.

Sprawling record requests then came in a July batch of subpoenas seeking details on all interactions between admin officials and Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan, the sources added.

Adams, City Hall and his election committee were also hit with grand jury subpoenas that same month — with the feds obtaining text messages, documents and other communications and materials.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York had remained tight-lipped about the probe ever since it burst into view last November with a dramatic raid on top Adams fundraiser Brianna Suggs’ Brooklyn home.

Follow the latest on the FBI raids of Adams administration officials:

The raid — which sought evidence of straw donor kickbacks by the Turkish government and the Williamsburg-based construction company KSK Construction Group into Adams’ mayoral campaign — prompted Hizzoner to scurry back from a much-publicized White House meeting on the migrant crisis.

The feds subsequently raided the homes of City Hall staffer Rana Abbasova and Cenk Ocal, a former Turkish Airlines executive who worked on Adams’ transition team.

A week later, Adams had his own phones and iPad seized by FBI agents on the streets of Manhattan.

Meanwhile, another aide, Winnie Greco, had her Bronx home raided by FBI agents in February, although it wasn’t clear at the time whether it was tied to the Turkey probe.

Hizzoner has long denied any wrongdoing.

“It takes a great deal of discipline to not say something when you know you’ve done nothing wrong,” Adams said in August when asked about the mayoral campaign investigation.

The indictment marks the first time a New York City mayor has faced charges in 170 years, according to historical investigation done by THE CITY.

All recent mayors from David Dinkins to Bill de Blasio have faced some type of corruption investigation, but all those probes ended with, at worst, lower-level aides being slapped with charges.

Former Major Jimmy Walker famously resigned in 1932 while under investigation, but he was never charged.

The bombshell indictment will come amid a spate of other federal investigations targeting City Hall and Big Apple officials that came to light in a stunning series of raids on Hizzoner’s top lieutenants, closest political allies and most trusted aides of late.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are behind many of the probes but — like the mayoral campaign investigation — have remained tight-lipped about the aims, potential charges and how the probes might entwine with each other.

No one, to date, has been charged or accused of any wrongdoing in the other investigations.

Additional reporting by Ben Kochman