Indicted NYC Mayor Eric Adams Tells FBI: ‘Whoops! I Forgot my iPhone’s New Passcode!’

It happens to the best of us I guess, as well as New York City Mayors. NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who is being indicted on corruption charges, claims he’s forgotten the new passcode for his iPhone, which he said he did to assist investigators. 

Adams, who was indicted in September 2024, had two of his cellphones seized, although his personal iPhone was not included. 

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I Was Helping the Investigation! Yeah, That’s It, I Was Helping!

“When Adams produced his personal cellphone the next day in response to a subpoena,” says the filing, “it was ‘locked,’ such that the device required a password to open.”

Adams said that he chose to change the iPhone passcode to “prevent members of his staff inadvertently or intentionally deleting the contents of his phone,” in addition to changing the code, he increased it from a four-digit passcode to a six-digit one.

Adams claims he changed his passcode change specifically because he “wished to preserve the contents of his phone due to the investigation.” But, darn it, wouldn’t you know it, he “had forgotten the password [sic] he had just set.”

While the filing only recounts the sequence of events and Adams’ explanation for being unable to unlock the iPhone, no commentary from the FBI is included. However, the filing does feature a section headed “Adams and His Co-Conspirators Attempt to Conceal Their Criminal Conduct” where his actions are mentioned.

But Wait! There’s More!

The “Conceal” section of the filing also notes that a woman identified only as an “Adams Staffer,” had agreed to speak to the FBI, but then took a restroom break. While in her stall, the staffer “deleted the encrypted messaging applications she had used to communicate with Adams.”

While the filing doesn’t specify the name of the “encrypted messaging applications” the staffer allegedly deleted, it’s a sure bet that the contents of those third-party messaging apps would not be stored in iCloud.

Apple is well-known for refusing to aid law enforcement in unlocking iPhones or adding backdoors to allow access. While it will provide law enforcement authorities access to data stored on iCloud, much of that data can now be end-to-end encrypted so that even Apple can’t read it.

Neither news reports or the filing mention which model of iPhone Adams was using or what version of iOS is installed on the device. Although law enforcement has in the past been able to unlock iPhone without any assistance from Apple, the ability to access the iPhone’s data is limited to devices running iOS 17.3 or earlier.

What Are the Charges Against Mayor Adams and His Crew?

The federal charges center on bribery, wire fraud, and receiving illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Official say Adams and his cohorts solicited and accepted gifts in exchange for political favors, specifically from the country of Turkey.

Surprisingly, this is the first ever federal indictment for a sitting New York mayor. Adams says he’s the victim of a frame up and denies the charges. His next court appearance over the case is on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.