Current:Home > InvestFBI seizes NYC mayor’s phone ahead of expected unsealing of indictment-LoTradeCoin
FBI seizes NYC mayor’s phone ahead of expected unsealing of indictment
View Date:2025-01-18 13:10:12
NEW YORK (AP) — FBI agents entered the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and seized his phone early Thursday morning, hours before an indictment detailing criminal charges against the Democrat was expected to be made public.
Adams was indicted by a grand jury on federal criminal charges that remain sealed, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
“Federal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle (again) and take Mayor Adams phone (again),” Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement, adding that the mayor had not been arrested. “They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in.”
Federal law enforcement agents were seen entering the mayor’s Manhattan residence at dawn Wednesday, with several vehicles bearing federal law enforcement placards parked outside.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan has declined to comment on the investigation. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately respond to questions Thursday morning.
In a video speech released Wednesday night, Adams vowed to fights any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies.”
“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he said.
It was not immediately clear what laws Adams is accused of breaking or when he might have to appear in court.
The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have honed in on members of Adams’ inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations.
Federal prosecutors are believed to be leading multiple, separate inquiries involving Adams and his senior aides, relatives of those aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling of the police and fire departments.
In the last two weeks alone, the city’s police commissioner and head of the school’s system have announced their resignations.
FBI agents had seized Adams’ electronic devices nearly a year ago as part of an investigation focused, at least partly, on campaign contributions and Adams’ interactions with the Turkish government. Because the charges were sealed, it was unknown whether they dealt with those same matters.
In early September, federal investigators seized devices from his police commissioner, schools chancellor, two deputy mayors and other trusted confidantes both in and out of City Hall.
All have denied wrongdoing.
veryGood! (953)
Related
- Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
- Wind Energy Is a Big Business in Indiana, Leading to Awkward Alliances
- UBS to buy troubled Credit Suisse in deal brokered by Swiss government
- A Silicon Valley lender collapsed after a run on the bank. Here's what to know
- Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
- Biden has big ideas for fixing child care. For now a small workaround will have to do
- The unexpected American shopping spree seems to have cooled
- Chloë Grace Moretz's Summer-Ready Bob Haircut Will Influence Your Next Salon Visit
- California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
- Inside Clean Energy: Real Talk From a Utility CEO About Coal Power
Ranking
- Are Ciara Ready and Russell Wilson Ready For Another Baby? She Says…
- What is the DMZ? Map and pictures show the demilitarized zone Travis King crossed into North Korea
- After years of decline, the auto industry in Canada is making a comeback
- It Was an Old Apple Orchard. Now It Could Be the Future of Clean Hydrogen Energy in Washington State
- Mason Bates’ Met-bound opera ‘Kavalier & Clay’ based on Michael Chabon novel premieres in Indiana
- Australian sailor speaks about being lost at sea with his dog for months: I didn't really think I'd make it
- Rare pink dolphins spotted swimming in Louisiana
- 3 women killed, baby wounded in shooting at Tulsa apartment
Recommendation
-
All the Ways Megan Fox Hinted at Her Pregnancy With Machine Gun Kelly
-
First Republic becomes the latest bank to be rescued, this time by its rivals
-
To Stop Line 3 Across Minnesota, an Indigenous Tribe Is Asserting the Legal Rights of Wild Rice
-
Penalty pain: Players converted just 4 of the first 8 penalty kicks at the Women’s World Cup
-
1 million migrants in the US rely on temporary protections that Trump could target
-
Warming Trends: The Cacophony of the Deep Blue Sea, Microbes in the Atmosphere and a Podcast about ‘Just How High the Stakes Are’
-
Inside the emerald mines that make Colombia a global giant of the green gem
-
A Big Climate Warning from One of the Gulf of Maine’s Smallest Marine Creatures