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Indictment of New York Mayor Adams: Timeline of Events in Federal Corruption Investigation
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Indictment of New York Mayor Adams: Timeline of Events in Federal Corruption Investigation

NEW YORK (WABC) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a federal grand jury, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News, following multiple federal investigations that began late last year and have now plunged City Hall into crisis.

The federal investigation into the Adams administration first became public on Nov. 2, 2023, when FBI agents raided the Brooklyn home of Adams’ top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, in the early morning.

According to ABC News sources, this resulted in charges, although the charges have not yet been made public.

Below is a timeline of the events leading up to the charges against the mayor.

Timeline of events in the federal investigation of Mayor Adams:

November 2, 2023 – FBI agents search the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, a top fundraiser for Mayor Eric Adams. They also search the New Jersey home of Rana Abbasova, the mayor’s international aide. Adams flew to Washington, D.C., and then flew back despite immigration meetings scheduled with the White House.

November 6, 2023 – The FBI seizes electronic devices belonging to Mayor Adam, including an iPad and a cellphone, as part of the federal investigation. Sources say they are investigating whether the mayor’s campaign received foreign donations from Turkey.

November 15, 2023 – Mayor Adams is establishing a legal defense fund to pay costs related to the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign.

February 29, 2024 – The FBI searches the Bronx home of Winnie Greco, the director of Asian Affairs for the Adams administration.

April 5, 2024 – ABC News reports that the FBI is investigating whether Adams received free upgrades on Turkish Airlines.

July 2024 – Federal prosecutors are serving grand jury subpoenas on Adams as part of what sources say is an ongoing corruption investigation into whether his campaign solicited illegal donations from Turkey in exchange for pressuring the Fire Department to speed up an inspection of the new Turkish consulate in New York City. The mayor told WABC there was no criminality involved.

September 4, 2024 – FBI searches homes of two of mayor’s closest aides: the upper Manhattan home of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, engaged to Schools Chancellor David Banks, whose personal and work phones were seized. They also searched the homes of Queen of the Mayor’s Office for Public Safety Phil Banks and Terence Banks, a corporate consultant. Seized evidence, electronics.

September 5, 2024 – Federal investigators have subpoenaed the cellphones of four high-ranking NYPD officials, including then-NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and his twin brother James Caban. The cellphone of Tim Pearson, a close adviser to Adams, was also seized.

September 12, 2024 – Commissioner Caban resigns and tells officers he does not want the investigation to “cause a distraction.”

“The noise surrounding recent developments has made that impossible and has hampered the important work our city needs,” he said.

September 14, 2024 – Lisa Zornberg, the city’s chief legal counsel, is stepping down after a year on the job. She advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for more than a year and often parried legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal attorney.

“It has been a great honor to serve the city. I am submitting my resignation, effective today, as I have decided I can no longer effectively serve in my capacity. I wish you nothing but the best,” Zornberg wrote in a three-sentence resignation letter to Adams.

September 16, 2024 – Two retired FDNY chiefs, Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino, are arrested after a year-long corruption investigation.

September 20, 2024 – Federal prosecutors are subpoenaing New York City Bureau of Asylum Seekers Director Molly Schaeffer.

September 21, 2024 – Federal agents search the home of interim NYPD Commissioner Thomas Donlon. He says it had nothing to do with the police.

September 23, 2024 – New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan announces he will step down and leave office in January 2025, saying he wants to spend more time with his family. He said his decision was not a result of ongoing investigations into the Adams administration.

September 24, 2024 – New York City schools chancellor David Banks announces his retirement.

September 25, 2024 – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the most prominent name calling for Adams to resign. In a statement posted to ‘X’ on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City,” amid the wave of firings and investigations into his administration’s top brass.

ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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