On the night he was elected the 110th mayor of New York City, former police Capt. Eric Adams vowed to fight for those "this city has betrayed."
"This city betrayed New Yorkers every day, especially the ones who rely on it the most. My fellow New Yorkers, that betrayal stops on January 1," Adams said that night in November 2021.
For the past year, federal authorities have been investigating the possibility of corruption at City Hall, issuing subpoenas for Adams and members of his inner circle.
Sept. 16, 2024 -- Two retired chiefs from the New York City Fire Department are arrested following a yearlong corruption investigation, law enforcement sources tell ABC News. Retired chiefs Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino were arrested at their homes.
An unsealed Manhattan federal court indictment alleges Saccavino and Cordasco "repeatedly abused their positions of trust as high-ranking officials in the New York City Fire Department" by soliciting and accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies, according to an indictment unsealed Monday in Manhattan federal court. The two men were chiefs with the FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention, which regulates the installation of fire safety and suppression systems in commercial and residential buildings. For nearly two years, the indictment said, Saccavino and Cordasco misused this authority for their own financial gain.
The two allegedly accepted $190,000 in bribes in exchange for expediting inspections, according to the indictment. The court document alleges Cordasco publicly complained about a so-called "City Hall List" of building projects that should be prioritized by FDNY inspectors.
Both Saccavino and Cordasco pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sept. 20, 2024 -- Federal authorities executed search warrants at the residences of Interim NYPD Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon. Donlon said in a statement the FBI took classified files dating back 20 years that were not related to NYPD matters.
Federal law enforcement executed search warrants after receiving a tip that Donlon allegedly retained classified documents from an investigation he was involved in more than 20 years ago, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Donlon had access to classified information during his FBI career. When he was named interim NYPD commissioner, someone who said they knew Donlon retained materials from a previous investigation filed a complaint, prompting the search according to the sources.
A spokesperson for Adams said there was "no indication of any direct connection to anyone at City Hall."
Sept. 24, 2024 -- Schools Chancellor Banks announces his retirement at the end of the calendar year. The letter suggested the decision was in the works prior to the federal investigations that have engulfed the Adams administration. Adams announced the next day that Melissa Aviles-Ramos would take over the leadership of the Department of Education on Jan. 1.
Sept. 25, 2024 Adams is indicted by a federal grand jury, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Reacting to the news, Mayor Adams said in a statement that he is innocent.
"I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target—and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit," he said.
Sept. 26, 2024 -- Federal investigators search Gracie Mansion and seize Adams' phone, according to the mayor's attorney.
Later in the morning, the indictment is unsealed revealing five criminal counts including wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of contribution from a foreign national.
Federal prosecutors alleged Adams illegally accepted more than $100,000 in improper benefits, many of which came in the form of flight upgrades and stays in luxury hotels, none of which were publicly divulged as required and engaged in a straw donor scheme to reap in over $10 million from the New York City matching fund program for his mayoral campaign.
Adams denied the allegations and said he was going to fight the charges.
Sept. 27, 2024 -- Adams appears in federal court in Manhattan for his arraignment. He pleads not guilty and continues to defy growing calls for him to stand down.
Later in the day Ingrid Lewis-Martin, chief adviser to the mayor, had her Brooklyn home searched and her phone seized upon return to the United States from a vacation in Japan, her attorney said.
Oct. 7, 2024 -- Deputy mayor for public safety, Phil Banks III, one of Adam's closest advisers, resigns. Banks is the brother of Schools Chancellor David Banks, who announced his resignation on Sept. 24 and is expected to leave office on Oct. 16.
FBI agents searched Phil Banks' Hollis, Queens, home on Sept. 4 and seized evidence, including electronics, sources told ABC News.
"We spoke yesterday and we spoke again this morning and he stated he wants to move on to other things in his life," Adams said of Phil Banks III during an interview with NY1. "I wish my good friend well."
Oct. 8, 2024 -- Mohamed Bahi, a senior New York City Hall official, resigns after the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced he was arrested on charges of witness tampering and destruction of evidence in connection with a federal investigation of unlawful contributions to Mayor Adams' 2021 campaign.
"As alleged, Mohamed Bahi obstructed a federal criminal investigation by instructing witnesses to lie and then destroying evidence," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. "The charges unsealed today should leave no doubt about the seriousness of any effort to interfere with a federal investigation, particularly when undertaken by a government employee. Our commitment to uncovering the truth and following the facts wherever they may lead is unwavering."
Oct. 8, 2024 -- Brian Cordasco, a retired chief in the FDNY's Bureau of Fire Prevention, pleads guilty to conspiring to accept bribes in exchange for expediting safety inspections.
"I plead guilty your honor," Cordasco said in federal court.
Cardasco will be sentenced in February and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The plea agreement contains no expectation of cooperation against his codefendant, Anthony Saccavino, another retired FDNY chief. But federal prosecutors said Cordasco conspired with Saccavino to create a VIP line for fire inspections for those willing to pay.
“He would expedite such matters in a way that was unavailable to the general public,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Wolf said.
The case is unrelated to the corruption case against Mayor Adams but appears to have been an offshoot of the same investigation.
Oct. 8, 2024 -- New York City First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigns.
Wright recently married David Banks, the schools chancellor appointed by Adams whose retirement date was just accelerated after he and Wright had their phones seized as part of the federal corruption investigation engulfing the administration.
“We are grateful for First Deputy Mayor Wright’s years of service to the city and all she has done to deliver for children, families, and working-class New Yorkers. She is an exceptional leader who assembled a strong team and constantly demonstrated a bold vision for this city,” Adams said in a statement.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Mark Crudele and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.