New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged with wire fraud, bribery and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations in an unprecedented federal indictment unsealed on Thursday.

The accusations, which Adams vowed to contest vigorously, plunged his administration further into turmoil, following months of revelations about multiple law enforcement investigations into the mayor, several of his top officials and his 2021 political campaign. Various administration officials — including the police commissioner, schools chancellor, health commissioner and Adams’ chief legal counsel — in recent weeks resigned or announced plans to do so amid intensifying scrutiny of the mayor and his inner circle.

Here’s what you need to know about the indictment and the ongoing fallout.

What is the mayor charged with?

Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York allege Adams violated campaign finance laws by providing favorable treatment in exchange for illicit benefits from foreign nationals.

They say he sought and accepted illegal “straw donations” from foreign nationals, including Turkish citizens, whereby actual donors’ true identities were concealed through U.S.-based passthrough donors in order to evade restrictions on campaign contributions.

This allowed Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign to boost how much it received in public matching funds from the city’s Campaign Finance Board, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The campaign ultimately received more than $10 million in matching funds, though not all of the money stemmed from the alleged misconduct.

What’s in the indictment?

Prosecutors say Adams solicited and was given other improper benefits he didn’t disclose from some of the same co-conspirators implicated in the straw donor scheme.

A senior Turkish diplomatic official arranged for Adams and his companions to get free or discounted travel on Turkish Airlines — in which the Turkish government has a significant ownership stake — to France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary and Turkey, according to the indictment. That official and other Turkish nationals allegedly plied Adams and his companions with free luxury hotel rooms, high-end meals and entertainment.

Prosecutors say that when Adams was Brooklyn borough president and running for mayor in 2021, he “intervened with the FDNY to permit the Turkish Consulate [in New York] to occupy a skyscraper that had not passed a fire safety inspection,” in exchange for luxury travel provided by the Turkish official and a manager for Turkish Airlines. That September, the indictment says, the official told Adams it was his turn to reciprocate by facilitating the 36-story skyscraper’s opening in time for a high-profile visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Adams “did as instructed.”

“Because of Adams’ pressure on the FDNY, the FDNY official responsible for the FDNY’s assessment of the skyscraper’s fire safety was told that he would lose his job if he failed to acquiesce, and, after Adams intervened, the skyscraper opened as requested,” prosecutors allege. September 2021 was the same month Adams allegedly accepted some straw donations from a Turkish national, according to the indictment.

Although Adams was required to disclose these benefits as a city government employee, he never did so, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. And in some instances, he allegedly tried to create a fake paper trail of receipts and invoices, or ordered others to do so, to ward off the appearance of impropriety.

The indictment includes allegations that Adams deleted messages with others involved in his purported misconduct. The document details a 2019 incident where Adams wrote to one of his staffers — an unidentified co-conspirator — that he “always” deleted her messages.

Prosecutors say Adams continued to solicit and accept straw donations in 2023 and 2024 for his 2025 re-election campaign, which is also participating in the city’s matching funds program. A Turkish entrepreneur identified in the document as a “promoter” is accused of facilitating many of the illicit benefits Adams allegedly received, “including a free two-night stay in the Cosmopolitan Suite of the St. Regis Istanbul.”

How has the mayor responded to the charges?

In a defiant video message released late Wednesday night, Adams denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the charges “with every ounce of my strength” after media outlets reported a sealed indictment had been issued. He said the anticipated charges were “entirely false, based on lies.”

At a hastily organized press conference outside his official residence at Gracie Mansion on Thursday morning, the mayor insisted that he followed campaign rules and the law and would still be able to lead the city despite the allegations. Earlier that morning, federal agents searched the mansion and seized Adams’ phone.

What happens now?

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at his own press conference on Thursday morning that prosecutors would “continue to dig” into Adams’ alleged misconduct.

Adams has yet to be arraigned on the charges in court. It’s possible the mayor may turn himself over to federal authorities in the coming days, in a typical arrangement between prosecutors and high-profile defendants in white-collar crime cases.

If Adams resigns, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would succeed him as acting mayor and lead the city for a temporary period before a special election. If Adams continues to serve, he will have to combat growing perceptions that he can no longer effectively carry out his duties amid at least three other federal probes into his administration.

What are other leaders saying?

Even before Adams was indicted, several progressive elected officials called for his resignation amid federal probes into his campaign finances and City Hall. They argued he could not realistically manage the city under the burgeoning investigations, and got their biggest boost this week when progressive standard-bearer Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Adams needed to step down for the good of the city.

After news of the indictment broke on Wednesday night, moderates such as City Councilmember Bob Holden and state Sen. John Liu called on Adams to resign for similar reasons.

Others, including the mayor’s close political allies like state Assemblymember and Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, say Adams should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. They point out he has dedicated his life to serving New York City, including as an NYPD officer, state senator and Brooklyn borough president.

A spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who like Adams is a moderate Democrat, said she is monitoring developments around the indictment. As governor she has the power to remove Adams from office if he is criminally charged. She was expected to comment further on the news later on Thursday.

Some business leaders in the city say Adams should be given a chance to fully respond to the allegations against him through the legal process.

What about the other investigations?

It remains to be seen whether the other federal investigations into Adams’ administration will advance to indictments. They reportedly involve former Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Caban’s two brothers, outgoing Schools Chancellor David Banks and Banks’ two brothers, and his adviser Winnie Greco.