The first signs of trouble for Adams appeared on November 2, 2023, when an ominous raid was carried out on individuals near City Hall. While he was traveling to Washington, DC to meet with mayors at the White House about the refugee crisis, FBI agents executed search warrants at the homes of three Adams associates, including his top fundraiser Brianna Suggs, for doing business with the Turkish government.

In New Jersey, agents seized cell phones and other materials from the homes of Rana Abbasova, director of protocol in the mayor’s office for international affairs, and Cenk Öcal, a former Turkish Airlines executive who served on the mayor-elect’s transition committee. Agents left Suggs’s Crown Heights home with three iPhones, two laptops and a manila folder marked “Eric Adams” that was New York Just reported.

An associate had alerted Adams to the raid on Suggs’s home, and after landing in Washington, he turned around and boarded a flight back to New York. The following week, he told reporters he had skipped the migrant summit out of concern for 25-year-old Suggs. The following Monday, FBI agents approached Adams as he was leaving an event at New York University and confiscated two cellphones and an iPad that were in his possession.

“As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all of my employees to follow the law… I have nothing to hide,” the mayor said afterward, a refrain used in modified form as the investigation in Turkey progressed and further investigations were launched.

On September 4, 2024, another raid occurred. Federal agents conducted early morning raids on the homes of high-ranking city officials, including NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, his brother, Schools Chancellor David Banks, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, David Banks’ fiancée, and a senior aide to the mayor, Timothy Pearson. Caban’s identical twin brother James and a younger sibling of Banks, Terence, also had their phones seized.

The coordinated raids were carried out in support of two investigations that have no connection to Türkiye but were primarily conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
One investigation is targeting a consulting firm owned by Terence Banks, whose fortunes rose when his older brothers joined the Adams administration. Another investigation is focusing on whether James Caban exploited his family ties to the police commissioner to get work for his security company, according to media reports.

Edward Caban resigned ten days after the raid. His brother and the Banks siblings all denied any wrongdoing. David Banks later resigned as school chancellor.