The allegations mark a stunning blow for a politician who rose from humble roots in Brooklyn to become only the second Black man to serve as New York’s mayor.

Editor’s note (September 26th): This story was updated after Mr Adams’s indictment was unsealed.

Adams, a Democrat, faces conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges in a five-count indictment outlining a decade-long trail of corruption that began when he served as an elected official in Brooklyn and continued through his mayoral administration.