[15] It would take four votes to start the process of removing the mayor - temporarily or permanently - which he could dispute,[16] and would still need to pass the full council.

[26] After securing the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary nomination in July, Adams urged then-fire-commissioner Daniel A. Nigro to allow the government of Turkey to occupy the Turkish House; the New York City Fire Department declined to sign off on the building, citing fire safety issues.

The search warrant, obtained by The New York Times, states agents seized three iPhones, two laptops, contribution card binders, and other documents.

[24] The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched a dozen locations that day,[28] including the residence of former Turkish Airlines executive Cenk Öcal and Director of Protocol in the Mayor's Office for International Affairs Rana Abbasova.

[33] Director of Asylum Seeker Operations Molly Schaeffer was also visited by law enforcement, who served a federal subpoena on her.

At a Day of the Dead celebration at Gracie Mansion that night, Adams stated that his campaign was up to the "highest ethical standards".

[24] Adams denied the accusations at New York City Hall press conference the following week, disclosing that he had retained the law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

[40] Brooklyn Democratic Party chairwoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn questioned whether the inquiry was related to Adams' race.

[43][better source needed] Representative Brandon Williams accused the investigation of being a "weaponization of the justice system" against Adams' critical comments towards president Joe Biden.

The campaign can appeal the decision, or opt out of receiving matching funds altogether to raise the individual donor cap from $2,100 to $3,700.

[7] The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is investigating a possible bribery scheme focusing on the consulting firm Pearl Alliance.

[49][9] On February 29, 2024, the FBI searched New World Mall and two houses owned by Winnie Greco, Adams's Asian affairs advisor and a close aide of the mayor.

Greco reportedly raised money by via straw donors through a non-profit called the Alliance of Asian American Friends.

[56][57] Timothy Pearson, a retired police inspector, Adams' former supervisor in the NYPD, and senior advisor and one his aides and confidants, had his phone seized by federal agents.

[8] On September 25, 2024, The New York Times reported Adams had been indicted by a grand jury on federal criminal charges.

[64] The indictment alleges Adams deliberately omitted the gifts' value from his annual New York City Conflicts of Interest Board disclosures, and notes communications suggestive of a cover-up.

[65] Adams is the first sitting mayor of New York City to have been indicted on federal crimes and pleaded not guilty on September 27.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a chief advisor, was issued a grand jury subpoena on September 27 by the US Attorney's Office relating to the Adams case.

[53] On December 15, 2024, Lewis-Martin resigned from her position as chief adviser, with the mayor's office framing her departure as a "planned retirement."

She has publicly denied these accusations, stating that she "never took any gifts, money, or anything" while in her role and had not made arrangements for others to receive benefits on her behalf.

The investigation into Lewis-Martin intensified in late September 2024, when prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office searched her home and seized her personal phones.

[69][70] FBI agents also served warrants at 375 Pearl Street where Adams associates Philip Banks III and Timothy Pearson keep offices.

[71] On October 8, 2024, Mohamed Bahi, Mayor Adams' Chief Liaison to the Muslim community, who was believed to have played a prominent role in encouraging witnesses to lie and destroying incriminating evidence in connection with illegal contributions made to Adams’ mayoral campaign, was arrested and charged with witness tampering and destruction of evidence.

[74] On September 26, 2024, Hochul called the indictment "the latest in a disturbing pattern of events," but stopped well short of demanding a resignation, saying that "it's now up to Mayor Adams to show the City that he is able to lead.