New York Mayor Eric Adams has been formally charged in an indictment that was unsealed on Thursday morning. The charges against Adams include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, receiving illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, and bribery.
According to the indictment, Adams allegedly accepted illegal campaign donations through “straw” or “nominee” contributors—individuals who falsely claimed the money they were donating came from their own funds. The Biden-Harris administration argues that this scheme violated federal laws designed to prevent foreign interference in U.S. elections. The funds in question, which were channeled through New York City’s public matching campaign fund program, are said to have been used to defraud the city and steal public funds.
Adams was officially indicted on Wednesday, followed by a raid on his Gracie Mansion residence Thursday morning. Concerns about his campaign finances first surfaced in the fall of 2023, when federal authorities raided the Brooklyn home of Adams’ former campaign manager. At that time, Adams was en route to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Joe Biden about the border crisis. However, after learning of the raid, he returned to New York to