Who is Eric Adams? The New York City mayor faces charges alleging he took bribes

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday after on federal charges that he allegedly took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.

The charges marked a stunning fall for Adams, a former police captain who made a commitment to law-and-order a cornerstone of his political platform even as multiple federal investigations tightened around him and members of his inner circle.

Adams has consistently said he is cooperating with the investigations and has denied wrongdoing through the steady drumbeat of searches, seizures and departures of top members of his administration.

But as news of the indictment spread Wednesday night, he began to mount a defiant defense that he was being targeted by the federal government for his political views, adopting language similar to former President Donald Trump and other politicians accused of crimes.

“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a videotaped speech released Wednesday night, adding that the case is “based on lies.”

From working-class childhood to police captain

Adams has often highlighted his working-class upbringing. He was one of six children raised by a single mother and has spoken of carrying around a garbage bag packed with his clothes because he feared his family would be evicted.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-hide-dates=«true» data-show-loadmore=«true»