New York Mayor faces criminal indictment

NEW YORK, Sept 26 (Reuters): New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday he expected to be charged with federal crimes and declared he was innocent, after the New York Times reported he had already been indicted following a long-running federal corruption investigation.
Adams, a Democrat who would become the first of the city's 110 mayors to be criminally charged while in office, said in a video statement that if charges were filed they would be "entirely false, based on lies." He vowed to remain in office while fighting them.
"If I'm charged, I know I'm innocent. I will request an immediate trial so New Yorkers can hear the truth," Adams said.
Defying calls from Democratic politicians for him to resign, he said: "You elected me to lead this city, and lead it I will."
The indictment was likely to be unsealed on Thursday when Adams may appear in court, the Times reported. In the meantime the exact charges remained uncertain. It also remained unclear whether Adams would be arrested or voluntarily surrender.
Other media later reported that a federal grand jury had indicted Adams, citing unnamed sources.
The charges come after the FBI last November searched Adams' electronic devices, and in the wake of a slew of resignations by top city officials in recent weeks as multiple federal corruption investigations entangle his administration.
A spokesman for the US Attorney's office in Manhattan, which brought the charges, declined to comment. Adams' lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment except to send a transcript of his video statement.
One of his lawyers has said that the mayor was cooperating with an investigation but did not say what it was about. Adams said the charges "would not be surprising" based on the "leaks and rumors" that he said were aimed at undermining his credibility.
If he were forced out of office, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become mayor of the United States' largest city with a population of about 8.3 million.
The case is likely to complicate any Adams bid for re-election in 2025. Other Democratic politicians, including New York City comptroller Brad Lander, plan to challenge Adams - once a key ally of Democratic President Joe Biden - for the party's nomination.