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…).