NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a year after FBI agents seized his phones, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing a growing number of federal investigations into his administration.
The investigations have produced a series of subpoenas, raids and whiplash-inducing developments for the first-term Democrat in recent weeks. Federal investigators have visited more than a dozen members of his administration and seized devices from the then-resigned police chief, the superintendent of public schools and other trusted confidants both inside and outside City Hall.
At least one high-ranking aide to the mayor was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury.
Federal prosecutors have declined to discuss the investigations, but people familiar with elements of the case have reported multiple, separate probes involving key Adams associates, family members of those associates, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling in police and fire departments.
Adams, a former police chief, has not been accused of wrongdoing and strongly denies any knowledge of criminal activity.
Below you can read what we know about the research:
A nightlife business run by the twin brother of the top police officer
On the morning of September 4, as federal agents spread across New York City to seize devices from some of the mayor’s closest advisers, they also traveled to Rockland County, about an hour north of the city. There, they visited the home of then-NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, as well as the nearby residence of his twin brother, James Caban. Devices were seized from both homes.
James Caban was also a former cop, but he was fired from the NYPD in 2001 after he was recorded threatening a cab driver. More recently, he runs a nightlife consulting business.
After the raids came to light, a Brooklyn juice bar owner publicly accused a mayoral aide, Ray Martin, of extorting him by claiming he would get better treatment from the police if he hired James Caban as a consultant. As part of the investigation, police seized phones from several NYPD precinct officers.
A week after the raids, Caban announced his resignation, telling officers he did not want the investigations to “cause a distraction.” That same day, Martin was fired from his job at City Hall.
James Caban “unequivocally denies any wrongdoing,” his attorney, Sean Hecker, said in a statement. An email sent to Martin was not answered. An attorney for Edward Caban did not respond to phone and email messages.
The Banks brothers and a consultancy firm
After taking office in 2022, Adams brought in a pair of brothers to oversee two of the city’s most important institutions, the public schools and the police department. He appointed Philip Banks, formerly a top NYPD chief, as his deputy mayor for public safety. He named David Banks, who had run a network of boys’ schools, as schools chancellor.
The same day they visited the Caban brothers’ homes, federal investigators seized equipment from Philip and David Banks, and from First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, David Banks’ partner.
Officers also seized a phone belonging to the Banks’ youngest brother, Terence Banks.
Terence Banks, a former mid-level supervisor in the New York City subway system, started a consulting firm that promised to connect companies with key government stakeholders. The firm represented companies seeking work with city agencies, including the education and police departments.
According to public records, some of those companies received millions of dollars in municipal contracts — and in one case, a personal interview with the school chancellor — after hiring Terrence Banks.
Both David and Terence Banks have said they do not believe they are targets of the investigation. A lawyer for Philip Banks, Benjamin Brafman, told reporters he believes his client has “zero criminal liability.”
David Banks and Philip Banks remain in their positions. Adams has defended them, noting that his relationship with the family goes back to his time in the police force under their father.
An advisor with control over contracts
Tim Pearson is an influential figure with little public presence and one of the mayor’s most trusted advisers. Even as he’s faced multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment and a city investigation into his role in a brawl at a migrant shelter, Pearson has maintained the support of the mayor, with whom he worked on the police force decades ago.
Pearson’s electronic devices were also seized by federal authorities earlier this month. It’s unclear what aspect of his work is under scrutiny. Among his wide-ranging responsibilities, Pearson played a key role in approving contracts for the city’s migrant shelters.
Last Friday, the city’s Asylum Seeker Operations Director, Molly Schaeffer, who worked closely with Pearson, was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. Unlike other aides, her devices were not seized by federal agents.
Jennifer Beidel, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, said a subpoena to testify typically means an investigation has progressed far enough for prosecutors to provide the grand jury with the evidence it needs to decide whether to charge someone.
An attorney representing Pearson in the civil lawsuits did not respond to a request for comment. Pearson has not spoken publicly since the searches.
A mayor under a microscope
The first sign that federal authorities were investigating people close to Adams came in early November of last year, when agents searched the home of one of his top fundraisers, Brianna Suggs.
On November 6, FBI agents detained Adams as he left an event in Manhattan and seized his cellphone and iPad.
Agents also searched the home of Adams’ contact for the Turkish community in New York and a former executive of a Turkish airline.
As part of that investigation, federal prosecutors have sought information about a period when Adams was still Brooklyn’s president but had won the Democratic primary and was widely expected to be elected mayor in the fall. During that period, Turkish officials tried to get the city to expedite fire department approval for a new diplomatic building that had been held up over security concerns.
Last summer, federal prosecutors subpoenaed Adams, his campaign partner and City Hall, asking for information about the mayor’s schedule, his travel abroad and possible connections to the Turkish government.
Adams denies any wrongdoing. Private lawyers for the mayor said they had presented “extensive evidence that undermined the reported theories of federal prosecution of the mayor.”
Other questions
Federal prosecutors are also investigating Winnie Greco, the city’s Asian Affairs director and a longtime ally of Adams. Unlike the rest of the investigations, that one is being led by Brooklyn federal prosecutors.
In addition, federal prosecutors last week subpoenaed a Brooklyn church, seeking information about possible relationships between a priest and Frank Carone, Adams’ former chief of staff who now runs his own lobbying firm.
Greco has not commented publicly on the FBI searches of her property and continues to work for the city. Carone has told reporters he is not aware of any criminal investigations linked to him.
Two high-ranking fire chiefs were arrested on charges they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from people seeking preferential treatment from the fire department’s safety inspection agency. Both have pleaded not guilty.
And on Friday, federal authorities searched the home of newly appointed interim New York City Police Commissioner Thomas Donlan, seizing equipment unrelated to his police work. Donlan confirmed the search and said the equipment had been in his possession for 20 years.
He did not elaborate on the substance of the investigation, but a person familiar with the inquiry said it involved classified documents from Donlon’s years at the FBI. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.
