NYC Mayor Adams turns himself in to federal authorities ahead of arraignment

New York City Mayor Eric Adams will step into a Manhattan courtroom and into the history books on Friday when he is arraigned on federal corruption and bribery charges that could force him out of office.

Adams surrendered to federal authorities a day after he was hit with a 57-page federal indictment accusing him of taking $100,000 worth of free plane tickets and luxury hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals and at least one government official in a nearly decade-long corruption scheme.

A 64-year-old former New York City police captain, Adams is charged with five criminal counts that include bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national. He was expected to plead not guilty.

Adams is the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted on criminal charges in the modern era.

The official mayoral schedule released by City Hall reflected Adams' new reality with a seven-hour, unexplained gap between his 8:30 a.m. meeting with outgoing New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks and his staff, and a 3:30 p.m. meeting with the mayoral advisory committee.

Upon arriving at the courthouse in Manhattan, Adams gave a thumbs-up to onlookers but made no statement as he was escorted inside. He was expected to make a brief appearance before the judge on duty, according to court officials. His next court appearance has already been scheduled for Wednesday.

Ever defiant, Adams has vowed to fight the charges and stay on as mayor, even as a growing number of politicians have called for him to step down.

“We are not surprised. We expected this,” Adams said on Thursday after he was charged. “I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments.”

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