F.B.I. agents seized Mayor Eric Adams’s electronic devices early this week in what appeared to be a dramatic escalation of a federal corruption investigation into whether his 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to funnel money into its coffers, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
The agents approached the mayor on the street on Monday and asked his security detail to step away, one of the people said. They climbed into his S.U.V. with him and, pursuant to a court-authorized warrant, took his devices, the person said. The devices — at least two cellphones and an iPad — were returned to the mayor within a matter of days, the people said. Law enforcement investigators with a search warrant can make copies of the data on devices after they seize them.
A lawyer for Mr. Adams and his campaign said in a statement that the mayor had “immediately complied with the F.B.I.’s request and provided them with electronic devices” after an event on Monday. The lawyer, Boyd Johnson, noted that Mr. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing and was cooperating with federal authorities.
Later, the mayor’s office turned over more devices.
