Eric Adams faces federal indictment hours after naming new schools chief

A federal grand jury has indicted Mayor Eric Adams, according to the New York Times, a destabilizing blow to the city just hours after he named its next schools chief.

The charges against Adams were unclear since the indictment was sealed, the Times reported. He is expected to surrender to authorities early next week, sources told the New York Post.

Adams’ indictment is both symbolically and practically significant for the nation’s largest school system. Under mayoral control — a governance model that Albany lawmakers extended twice under Adams’ watch — the city’s chief executive is responsible for overseeing its 1,600 schools, along with picking the schools chancellor.

Adams, the first New York City mayor to be charged while in office, can continue to serve as mayor even while facing charges. But he’s faced mounting pressure from local and state officials to step down, and news of the indictment was likely to fuel further critics.

“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 statement Wednesday night to multiple news outlets. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

Wednesday night’s news raises questions about the leadership of the city as well as its schools. Schools Chancellor David Banks – whose phones were seized three weeks ago along with those of other top officials – announced Tuesday he plans to retire at the end of the calendar year.

It’s also unclear if the fallout from an indictment could impact Adams’ plan to have Melissa Aviles-Ramos replace Banks after his Dec. 31 retirement.

“It has the potential to really paralyze the DOE and really prevent it from doing anything novel and anything other than limping along,” Aaron Pallas, a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College and longtime observer of the city’s school system, said of the indictment. “Many people feel like limping along is certainly not good enough.”

Even before news of the indictment began to spread on Wednesday evening, a growing chorus of elected officials had begun calling for the mayor’s resignation — most notably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

If Adams were to resign or be forced out of office, decisions about the school system — including whether to move forward with Aviles-Ramos’ appointment — would fall to Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate. Williams’ office did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday about how he would approach managing the Education Department.

Just hours before word of the indictment broke, Adams joined Banks for a celebratory press conference where they formally announced Aviles-Ramos’ new role. She voiced her full-throated support for the mayor. “I want you to see me as a symbol of stability,” she said.

Multiple federal investigations have touched Adams’ inner circle, and several top officials have stepped down or announced plans to leave in recent weeks, including the city’s police commissioner and health commissioner. The Times reported that the investigation leading to the indictment probed whether the mayor, who received foreign donations to his campaign, expedited approval of a new high-rise Turkey consulate, despite safety concerns.

As news of the indictment spread Wednesday night, new calls emerged for Adams to resign — including from City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Senator Zellnor Myrie, and former Comptroller Scott Stringer, all of whom are running against Adams.

State Sen. John Liu, a Queens Democrat who chairs the Senate’s New York City education committee, acknowledged Adams was “entitled to his due process” but also called for his exit.

“The people of New York City, however, need a mayor who is able to devote full time and full energy to putting the city on the right track, including recruitment and retention of top leadership for the City,” Liu said in a statement. “Mayor Adams is simply unable to do that for the foreseeable future and therefore, for the good of all New Yorkers, must resign immediately.”

Julian Shen-Berro is a reporter covering New York City. Contact him at jshen-berro@chalkbeat.org

Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.