Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a grand jury on charges connected to a federal probe that has shaken his administration, sources told The Post.
The historic indictment is expected to be unsealed Thursday by US Attorney Damian Williams, according to the sources
Adams will surrender to authorities early next week, sources said.
Details about the exact accusations remained unclear, but are believed to be connected to an alleged kickback scheme involving the Turkish government illegally funneling money into his mayoral campaign, according to sources.
[[[[OR The charges are expected to accuse Adams of wrongdoing related to a kickback scheme involving the Turkish government illegally funneling money into his mayoral campaign, according to sources.
Adams’ top campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs also faces charges in the foreign influence case — one of several federal probes swirling around the mayor and his inner circle.]]]]]
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, which 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 soon would be indicted, sending staff into a panic throughout the day, insiders said.
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, though 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 research 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 Mayor 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 Joe Marino
