Mayor Eric Adams's Multiple Phone Numbers Raise Questions About Federal Investigation

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City had seven different cellphone numbers during a federal corruption investigation, according to warrants and documents released about the case. Adams argued that many New Yorkers have multiple phones, but the numerous devices he used were a focus of the investigation. Federal authorities obtained warrants to track Adams's location using cellphone data and discovered that he had used seven different phone numbers since the investigation began in August 2021.

Key Takeaways:

• Mayor Eric Adams had at least seven different cellphone numbers during a federal corruption investigation, according to warrants and documents released about the case.
• Adams argued that many New Yorkers have multiple phones, citing his office phone, personal phone, campaign phone, and other devices.
• The F.B.I. obtained warrants to track Adams's location using cellphone data and found that he had used seven different phone numbers since the investigation began in August 2021.
• Adams's multiple phones prompted the F.B.I. to seek permission to use a "cell site simulator" to discover other devices in the vicinity of Adams's phones.
• The F.B.I. seized multiple electronic devices from Adams, including two or three iPhones and an iPad, in November 2023.
• Adams's lawyers handed over another phone, a gray Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, which Adams claimed he had locked himself out of and couldn't remember the password for.
• Further electronic devices were seized from Gracie Mansion in September 2024, including two more iPhones, an iPad, and an Iridium satellite phone.
• Adams stated that his dyslexia prevented him from remembering the password on his primary phone and that the investigators' actions were intended to humiliate him.

Statistics:

• At least seven different cellphone numbers were used by Mayor Eric Adams during the federal investigation.
• The F.B.I. obtained warrants to track Adams's location using cellphone data more than three years after the investigation began in August 2021.
• The investigation spanned from August 2021 to September 2024.
• Adams's personal phone was seized by the F.B.I. in November 2023, which he claimed he couldn't access due to a forgotten password.
• A gray Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was also seized from Adams, which he claimed he had locked himself out of.

Sources:

• "The mayor used at least seven different cellphone numbers during a period in which he was under investigation"

[source: The New York Times]

• F.B.I. warrants and documents obtained by The New York Times

[source: Obtained from the F.B.I. via public records]