Chronology of searches, subpoenas and seizures that pursued New York Mayor Eric Adams and his inner circle

On the night he was elected New York City’s 110th mayor, former police captain Eric Adams vowed to fight for those “this city has betrayed.”

“This city has betrayed New Yorkers every day, especially those who depend on it most. My dear New Yorkers, that betrayal ends on January 1,” Adams said that evening in November 2021.

Last year, federal authorities investigated suspected corruption at City Hall and issued subpoenas against Adams and members of his inner circle.

On Thursday, New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned, a week after sources told ABC News that the FBI had seized his cellphone as part of the federal investigation.

Caban said in a statement that he was resigning because the “noise surrounding recent developments” had made it impossible for him to focus on the NYPD and “impeded the important work our city needs.” He said he would “continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”

Caban’s family has ties to nightlife. Richard Caban, Edward Caban’s brother and a former NYPD lieutenant, owned a now-closed Bronx restaurant, Con Sofrito. Edward Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant, owned a Bronx apartment building that once housed a bar called Twins on the ground floor.

Adams has since denied any wrongdoing. The mayor was not charged with any crimes as part of the investigation.

Federal authorities have not commented on what exactly they are investigating. Sources have told ABC News that one of the investigations involves city contracts and a second involves enforcement of regulations for bars and clubs.

“As a former member of law enforcement, I say it very clearly over and over again. We follow the rules. We make sure we cooperate and share all the information that is required. It would simply be inappropriate to obstruct the review while it is taking place,” Adams said in an interview with CBS New York on September 5.

None of the mayor’s employees who were subpoenaed, whose homes were searched or whose electronic devices were seized by investigators have been charged with a crime.

Here is a timeline of the subpoenas, searches and seizures that have followed Adams and his inner circle:

2 November 2023 – FBI agents searched the Crown Heights, Brooklyn, home of Brianna Suggs, a campaign adviser and top fundraiser for Adams. Federal agents also searched the New Jersey home of Rana Abbasova, the mayor’s adviser for international affairs. That same day, Adams unexpectedly returned to New York from Washington, D.C., to “clear the matter up,” despite scheduled meetings with White House officials and other mayors of major cities on immigration. The investigation involves a construction company, KSK Construction Group, based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, sources told ABC News. KSK donated about $14,000 to Adams’ 2021 campaign. Suggs has not been charged with any crimes related to the investigation.

6 November 2023 – The FBI is seizing electronic devices belonging to Mayor Adams, including an iPad and cellphone, as part of a federal investigation. Sources told ABC News that the probe is to determine whether the mayor’s campaign received illegal foreign donations from Turkey through a Brooklyn construction company.

15 November 2023 – Adams establishes a legal defense fund to cover costs related to the investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York into his 2021 mayoral campaign committee.

January 15, 2024 – Vito Pitta, Adams’ longtime campaign compliance attorney, issues a statement saying the mayor’s legal defense fund has raised $650,000 in just two months.

February 29, 2024 – The FBI is investigating Adams’ fundraising and raiding the Bronx home of Winnie Greco, the Adams administration’s director of Asian affairs. The investigation also involves a construction company, KSK Construction Group, sources tell ABC News.

5 April 2024 – ABC News reports that the FBI is investigating whether Adams received free upgrades on Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s national carrier.

July 2024 – Federal prosecutors in New York serve grand jury subpoenas on Adams, sources say, in an ongoing corruption investigation into whether his campaign solicited illegal donations from Turkey to pressure the Fire Department to expedite an inspection of the new Turkish consulate in New York City. Sources say the subpoenas seek communications and documents from the mayor. In an interview with ABC New York station WABC, Adams says, “Like previous administrations that have enforced subpoenas, you get involved and cooperate. You see a subpoena and you respond. At the end of the day, it will be determined that there is no crime here.”

4 September 2024 – The FBI is searching the homes of two of Adams’ closest aides. Federal agents are searching the Upper Manhattan home of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who is engaged to Schools Chancellor David Banks. Agents are also searching the home of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks in Hollis, Queens. The FBI seized evidence, including electronic devices, during the searches, sources told ABC News. David and Phil Banks are brothers and have both known Adams for years.

5 September 2024 – ABC News reports that federal investigators have subpoenaed the cellphones of four high-ranking New York Police Department officials, including NYPD Commissioner Caban. The subpoenas are part of the same investigation that led the FBI to search the homes of Deputy Mayors Wright and Banks, sources told ABC News. Tim Pearson, a close aide to Adams, is also receiving a subpoena for his cellphone, sources said. The subpoenas, according to sources, are related to an undisclosed investigation that is separate from an inquiry into whether Adams allegedly accepted illegal donations from Turkey in exchange for official favors.

10 September 2024 – Adams refused to say at a press conference whether he continued to have confidence in Police Commissioner Caban, despite news reports that Caban was under pressure to resign. When asked if he had confidence in Caban’s leadership, Adams said, “I have the utmost confidence in the NYPD.”

12 September 2024 — Commissioner Caban resigns. His attorneys, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, issue a statement saying they have been informed that Caban is “not the subject of an investigation by the Southern District of New York” and that he “expects to cooperate fully with the government.” Caban says in a statement, “My full attention must be on the NYPD – the department I deeply respect and to which I have dedicated my career. However, the noise surrounding recent developments has made that impossible and has hindered the important work our city needs. I have therefore decided it is in the best interest of the department that I resign as Commissioner.”

Adams confirms that he accepts Caban’s resignation and announces that he has appointed former FBI agent and former New York City Homeland Security Director Tom Donlon as interim commissioner. “I respect his decision and wish him well,” the mayor says of Caban. “Commissioner Caban has dedicated his life to keeping our city safe and in the 13 of 14 months he has served as commissioner, crime has dropped.”