Mayor Eric Adams is set to hold his regular weekly in-person media availability on Tuesday, days after he became the city's first indicted sitting mayor and hours after yet another trusted adviser submitted his resignation.
Watch the press conference in the player above when it begins around 11:30 a.m.
He will face questions about his indictment, for which he has a court appearance Wednesday, and Tim Pearson, the adviser who resigned Monday night. Among his wide-ranging responsibilities at City Hall, Pearson had a significant role in approving contracts for the city’s migrant shelters.
Adams thanked him in a statement late Monday.
An influential figure with little public presence, Pearson was one of the mayor’s most influential advisers. Even as he faced several lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment and a city investigation over his role in a brawl at a migrant shelter, Pearson has retained the backing of the mayor, who he served with decades ago in the police department.
Even before the federal scrutiny, Pearson had faced multiple scandals. While serving as an adviser to the mayor, he was also collecting a paycheck as an executive at a casino seeking a state contract — an arrangement that ended after it was revealed by The New York Times two years ago.
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His role in the brawl at a migrant shelter in fall 2023, where he was accused of physically attacking security guards, is currently being probed by the city’s Department of Investigation.
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Pearson was the subject of a search on Sept. 4 where his phone and some papers were seized by investigators, his lawyer confirmed. It was not clear what aspect of his work might be under scrutiny by the subpoenas.
Pearson has not spoken publicly since the searches.
He has not been publicly accused of wrongdoing by prosecutors or charged with a crime.
On top of the case against Adams, federal prosecutors are believed to be leading separate ongoing investigations into several top city officials with deep ties to the mayor. The drumbeat of searches and subpoenas in recent weeks has prompted the resignation of the city’s police commissioner and schools chancellor, along with mounting calls for the mayor to resign.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and steadfastly rejected calls to resign.
Jake Offenhartz of the Associated Press contributed to this report.
