Uncovering Corruption in the Adams Administration
July 24, 2025
Over four years, THE CITY’s extensive reporting on corruption within the Adams administration uncovered illegal campaign donations, detailed Adams’ dealings with President Trump, triggered probes by the NYC Department of Investigation and City Council, and led to multiple FBI investigations ahead of the mayor’s eventual indictment.
THE CITY was the first to uncover fraudulent donations to both of Adams’ mayoral runs. In 2023, our reporting exposing illegal straw donations to his 2021 run formed much of the backbone upon which Adams’ corruption charges were brought in the first place.
Our article in February 2025 about how Adams urged his top commissioners not to interfere with immigration enforcement, and not to criticize the Trump administration, was widely circulated by other newsrooms including the New York Times, Intelligencer, and Politico. That same day, Trump gave the order to drop Adams’ multiple indictments of bribery and fraud. Four deputy mayors and six prosecutors resigned in protest of Adams’ dealings with the Trump administration. All charges were ultimately dismissed in April 2025.
This July, THE CITY’s new investigation into straw donations to his second mayoral campaign identified 17 dubious donations that Adams attempted to match with public funds. Campaign finance officials demanded records for precisely these donations and continued to deny Adams public matching funds. Shortly after, the mayor dropped out of the race, citing both “unfair media coverage” and the actions of the Campaign Finance Board as primary reasons.
OUR REPORTING ON THE ISSUE
Campaign Finance Board Rejects Adams Bid for Matching Funds
August 6, 2025Aug. 25, 2025, 3:32 p.m.
New Eric Adams ‘Donors’ Say They Never Gave to His Reelection Campaign
July 24, 2025July 24, 2025, 9:58 a.m.
February 10, 2025Feb. 10, 2025, 4:40 p.m.
New Questions Arise Over Adams Donors: One Says She Was Reimbursed, Others Say They Never Gave
August 18, 2023Oct. 8, 2024, 10:25 a.m.
Thank you for reading — and for being a part of what makes the city and THE CITY so great. Please consider donating to help keep our reporters on the beat.
To read more about THE CITY’s impact, view our impact page. Or, read our latest impact report.