Mayor Eric Adams was just indicted in a federal corruption investigation, with charges most likely related to his campaign conspiring with the government of Turkey to receive illegal donations. (The indictment remains sealed, so it is not yet clear what he has been charged with, but theories are swirling.)

Adams thus notches a first: first sitting New York City mayor to be rung up on criminal charges. He technically does not need to resign, but the governor may remove him from office if he's charged with a crime. If he steps down, the public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would become the acting mayor and a special election would be called to find a replacement.

New York has seen mayors embroiled in corruption investigations before: Jimmy Walker in 1932 and Bill O'Dwyer in 1950 both experienced similar situations to Adams and quickly resigned, though their situations were different in that neither was charged while in office. ...

"I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target—and a target I became," said Adams in response. "If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit."

Per The New York Times, the indictment "grew out of an investigation by the F.B.I. and federal prosecutors in Manhattan that began in 2021 and was focused at least in part on the possible foreign donations, and on whether Mr. Adams pressured officials in the Fire Department to sign off on the opening of a new high-rise consulate building for the Turkish government despite safety concerns." But it's not just ties to Turkey that investigators are worried about: In recent weeks, they've broadened the scope of the investigation to include Adams' ties to Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.

Since he was elected, Adams has had a bit of a target on his back. Following a long career in NYPD and coziness with police unions, Adams inherited a struggling New York reeling from the pandemic and a massive influx of immigrants looking for (and receiving) welfare services on taxpayers' dime. Come June, he may well be primaried—four folks within his own party are looking to dethrone him—but his tenure as both mayor and Brooklyn borough president have been marked by small but frequent corruption scandals. This one is the most significant yet, with the potential to land Adams in quite serious trouble (unless…).

New Yorkers' worst fears could soon be realized as the already teetering Big Apple would be run by an ultra progressive Black Lives Matter activist if Eric Adams is ousted following his federal indictment.

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, 48, who has protested against the police, is next in line for the mayor's office - and exactly the kind of Democrat that far-left progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been dreaming of to run the nation's biggest metropolis.

He would replace Adams temporarily, until there is a special election 80 days after the change of power, sparking fears among New Yorkers that things could go from bad to worse in the city.

'A wounded Eric Adams, a weakened Eric Adams remaining in office, is better than the socialist Jumaane Williams,' former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa told DailyMail.com. 'That will open up the floodgates to socialism, and we will become Chicago.'

Adams, a moderate Democrat and former cop, has been the target of progressives like AOC, who oppose his pro-NYPD views and statements denouncing the Biden administration's migrant policies.

Rep Ocasio-Cortez, who has repeatedly endorsed Williams, has been the leading Democrat voice against Adams, demanding his resignation in an essay for The New York Times published just hours before the mayor was indicted.

'I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City,' AOC wrote Wednesday on X on Wednesday.

'The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.

'For the good of the city, he should resign.'

Social media users have already started expressing fear about what a mayor Williams would mean for NYC.

'Jumaane D. Williams makes AOC look like Joe Manchin. Big defund the police/bail reform guy,' Joe Colangelo said on X.

'To say this would be the final nail in the coffin for NYC is an understatement. JW is basically a villain from Batman,' another X user added.

Lisa Cappiello simply wrote: 'Lord help us.'

During 15 years in public service, Williams has stoked anti-police sentiment and pushed for criminal reform, including to end solitary confinement in city prisons. He is also a prominent pro-Palestine activist.

The failed gubernatorial candidate is a firm proponent of slashing the NYPD’s budget but lives in a US military base in Brooklyn that offers 24-hour security.

Williams was a leader of the 2020 BLM protests in NYC. In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, he led marches to Brooklyn Borough Hall to demand NYPD budget cuts.

He also threatened to refuse to sign a warrant authorizing the collection of real estate taxes, which underpin the city’s budget.

Williams said he would not sign that warrant unless the city eliminated the next class of police officers.

‘This guy hates the cops, hates America. Wears a Keffiyeh,’ Sliwa told DailyMail.com. ‘The police will no longer be able to function….

Sliwa added that even in a temporary position, Williams’ mayorship could have lasting effects for NYC and it will spark an exodus from the city.

‘[City Council] will pass so much legislation that he will sign and will never be able to be rescinded,’ Sliwa added. ‘New York City will become the socialist capital of the world.’

Responding to AOC's tweet demanding Adam's resignation, X user Ralph Napolitano wrote: 'She wants to step in and be mayor. He’s an extreme progressive socialists who hates the cops. NYC will be worse than it is now. We can’t let happen.'

Williams, his wife and children live on the Fort Hamilton base in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn.

The family, who have lived there for two years, rent a corner townhouse on the base with a backyard and water views of the Verrazano Narrows for about $4,000 a month.

To enter the base, vehicles and passengers are subject to identity checks and surveillance.

The base remains one of the most protected corners of Brooklyn.

Adams was indicted by a federal grand jury on federal criminal charges - an extraordinary culmination to weeks of searches, subpoenas and resignations of top officials that have thrust the city’s government into crisis.

The indictment detailing the charges against Adams was expected to be unsealed Thursday.

In a speech recorded at his official residence, Adams said he would remain in office, describing any charges he may face as “entirely false, based on lies.”

'I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target — and a target I became,' Adams said. 'I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.'

Federal investigators had seized Adams’ electronic devices nearly a year ago as part of an investigation focused, at least partly, on campaign contributions and Adams’ interactions with the Turkish government. Because the charges were sealed, it was unknown whether they dealt with those same matters.

It marks a stunning turn for Adams, a former police captain who won election nearly three years ago to become the city’s second Black mayor on a campaign that stressed his working class roots and commitment to public safety. But as Adams has made reducing crime a cornerstone of his administration, he has faced growing legal peril, with multiple federal investigations honing in on his top aides and his own campaign.

In the last two weeks alone, the leaders he appointed to oversee the country’s largest police force and largest schools system have announced their resignations.