Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, has reportedly been indicted on federal criminal charges.
Sources told The New York Times that Mr Adams had been indicted on the charges, which are unclear as his indictment has not yet been unsealed.
Federal prosecutors, the FBI and the city’s Department of Investigation are expected to announce the details on Thursday, when Mr Adams could appear in court.
It means that the former police captain, 64, who was elected three years ago on a platform of cutting crime, has become the first sitting New York mayor to face criminal charges.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr Adams would be arrested or voluntarily surrender.
The development will pile pressure on the Democrat to step down.
‘I have been facing these lies for months’
Mr Adams on Wednesday night declared his innocence and that he would fight the expected charges in a statement issued on Wednesday evening.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” he said in a statement to The New York Times.
“If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”