‘Show me the money’: how Eric Adams made it to the top – and fell back down

Eric Adams is the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted on federal corruption charges.

The former police officer won in 2021 with a law-and-order message.

Today , as he faces federal charges, historically bad polls and a growing pool of mayoral challengers smelling blood, Adams looks more like a future one -term mayor.

Indictment alleges that New York mayor crossed ethical and legal lines in pursuit of campaign cash.

Former staffers claim that their boss solicited illegal donations from foreign businessmen and approved of straw donor’ schemes.

But for years before the mayor was summoned to stand before a federal judge, political insiders say, there were signs that Adams was unafraid to skirt up to the edge of the law.

Federal prosecutors never brought any charges against former Brooklyn borough president.

But he insisted long after that he upheld the “highest’ of ethical standards throughout the episode.

Prosecutors allege he took free or discounted airfares to India , France , China , Hungary , Ghana and Turkey .

In 2021 , with Adams at this point officially running for mayor, the Turkish government official helped him harvest illegal campaign cash.