For NYC Mayor Eric Adams, 64, who runs the country’s largest city office, it’s business as usual, despite the fact that he is fighting federal bribery charges. Currently, Mayor Adams faces five federal criminal charges, which could result in a sentence of decades in prison if he is found guilty.

Mayor Adams denies all wrongdoing and told the public he will go to court to fight the allegations while staying in office.

In a news conference, where some shouted that he should resign, Mayor Adams said, "I will continue to do my job as mayor.”

In a 57-page complaint, federal prosecutors charged Mayor Adams with accepting “illegal campaign contributions” and “luxury travel” from Turkish nationals, who were allegedly seeking to gain favors from him.

According to the feds, these benefits allegedly date back to 2014 and filled the mayor’s campaign coffers, along with free stays at luxury hotels and expensive meals at exclusive restaurants.

Once elected, federal prosecutors claim, Mayor Adams successfully pushed NYC city officials to allow a new 36-story Turkish consulate to open, despite the project having “safety issues.”

Across the Mayor’s City Hall administration, like a collapsing house of cards, there have been over a dozen resignations – and numerous arrests - as close staff have left their positions under a cloud of serious federal charges of their own.

Mohamed Bahi, for example, was just arrested Monday, October 7, and charged in federal court for allegedly protecting his boss Mayor Adams, by obstructing justice in the investigation of the Mayor. In the federal claim, Mr. Bahi was charged with two counts of “the knowing solicitation and acceptance of straw contributions" and "to fraudulently obtain public matching funds."

Just prior to Mr. Bahi’s arrest, Mayor Adams’ liaison for community affairs was also arrested and charged in federal court with witness tampering, obstructing the ongoing investigation of the Mayor, and destroying records.

Federal prosecutors are continuing their investigation into Mayor Adams with allegations he used his staff to cover up illegal acts. Mr. Bahi is alleged in the official complaint to have met with employee donors and construction executives and told them to lie to the FBI. When the FBI searched Mr. Bahi’s home with a warrant, he deleted the Signal account that he had messaged Mayor Adams with from his phone.

As the scandal widens, Mayor Adams could legally be removed from office by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The governor can use the state Constitution's broad powers and also those included in the New York City Charter.

However, removing a NYC mayor is a complex and slow process. To remove Mayor Adams from office, Governor Hochul must inform Mayor Adams of his charges, then let him respond to her, followed by his participation in a trial-like period of questions and answers.

Beyond the legal steps the Democratic governor must take to remove Mayor Adams, also a Democrat, there may be political and other challenges to overcome in his removal. Presently, the US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer have not said that Mayor Adams must step down. At the state level, neither State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie nor State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have spoken publicly about Mayor Adams’ legal charges.

As Mayor Adams vehemently denies any wrongdoing, he is telling the public that he will not “surrender.”

“We don't surrender,” he said in a press conference. “We fight for what we believe is right. And I'm going to say to you, and I'm going to say throughout this city, 'I didn't do a damn thing wrong and I'm not going to surrender to anyone telling me I did something wrong,'"