Earlier Thursday, federal agents searched Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence.
While other New York City mayors have faced corruption-related investigations, Adams is the city’s first sitting mayor to be indicted in modern history. His administration faces at least four federal probes, and within the past several weeks top aides—including his police commissioner, schools chancellor and chief counsel—have announced their resignation.
Adams took office in 2022, after running a centrist campaign focused on addressing crime in the city. He had more than a 20-year career in law enforcement, including service as an NYPD captain. He is up for re-election next year.
In addition to free flights, Adams accepted comped meals at high-end restaurants and free hotel stays, prosecutors said. In a trip that involved stops in France, Turkey and China, Adams was given three free round-trip business-class tickets, as well as a heavily discounted stay in a suite in the St. Regis Istanbul, the indictment said.
Adams would fly the Turkish airline because of the free tickets, even when it wasn’t convenient, according to prosecutors. In the summer of 2017, Adams’s partner was surprised to learn he had flown to Turkey when his final destination was France, the indictment said. “Transferring here. You know first stop is always Istanbul,” Adams texted to his partner, prosecutors said.
The mayor never disclosed the benefits in mandatory financial disclosure forms as an elected city official, prosecutors said. He also took steps to erase a paper trail, they said.
Since taking office, the mayor has dismissed scrutiny of his ties to people with past run-ins with the law. He has proudly described his mentoring of a bishop with a rap sheet and openly partied with two restaurateurs who were each convicted of a felony. His deputy mayor for public safety, Philip Banks, was an unindicted co-conspirator in a prior federal corruption probe.
Adams has said he believes in giving people second chances.
At the same time, his campaign and administration have been swept up in corruption cases big and small. Several donors have been charged in schemes involving illegal political donations. Last year the city’s former Department of Buildings commissioner was charged in state court with taking bribes in exchange for using his position to provide favors to associates.
Earlier this year, federal prosecutors charged 70 current and former New York City public housing employees with accepting illicit payments in exchange for awarding work to contractors.
Last week, two former New York City fire chiefs were charged with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for expediting safety inspections.
Since news of the indictment emerged late Wednesday, Adams has faced growing calls for his resignation, including from nearly two dozen city council members. City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat who is running against Adams in next year’s primary, said the case would distract Adams from running the city.
“The most appropriate path forward is for him to step down so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands,” Lander said in a statement.
John Liu, a state senator from Queens, said the city needed a mayor who would put all his energy into governing, “Mayor Adams is simply unable to do that for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Adams has sought to play down concerns that the probes have placed a strain on his administration.
“This city government is a deep bench, and we have a reservoir of talent,” Adams said this week.
Write to Corinne Ramey at corinne.ramey@wsj.com and James Fanelli at james.fanelli@wsj.com