Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York shared the developments during a hearing in a Manhattan courtroom before U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, marking Adams’s second appearance in court since he pleaded not guilty to corruption charges last week. More counts against the mayor are “possible,” said prosecutors, who also indicated the case would include “multiple witnesses” against the mayor.

The indictment is part of a broader investigation that has already seen searches conducted at the homes of top city hall aides and the seizure of phones by federal investigators.

Last week, Adams became the first sitting New York mayor to be indicted on federal felony charges. He pleaded not guilty and was released without bail.

Despite the charges, Adams has launched an aggressive defense, vehemently denying any wrongdoing and resisting calls for his resignation. His legal team, led by high-profile attorney Alex Spiro, has accused federal prosecutors of leaking details of the case to the media and is pushing for a swift trial to resolve the matter.

Adams is accused of accepting improper benefits, including luxury travel from wealthy Turkish businesspeople, during his time as Brooklyn borough president, according to prosecutors. He is also charged with accepting illegal foreign contributions and defrauding taxpayers by misusing matching funds during his 2021 mayoral campaign.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the court discussed scheduling and possible motions as the case moves toward trial. Spiro pressed Ho for an expedited process, saying Adams and his lawyers “do not want this case dragging.” Spiro further argued that the government’s case was weak and based on “misleading and false” statements from witnesses.

Prosecutors have outlined a variety of evidence that will be used in the case against Adams, including business records, flight logs from a Turkish airline showing Adams received $50,000 worth of free travel in 2017, and electronic records, such as GPS data, photographs, and voice memos.

On Wednesday, Spiro also asked Ho, an appointee of President Joe Biden, to schedule Adams for a speedy trial before March, which is around the time of a deadline for mayoral candidates to be certified for the primary ballots.

Ho said he would keep the request in mind, noting, “The public and Mayor Adams have an interest in a speedy trial here, and I agree that interest is heightened” in the context of next year’s mayoral election.

Spiro, meanwhile, has taken a bold approach, filing motions to dismiss certain charges, including one related to federal program bribery. He argued that recent Supreme Court rulings make that particular charge untenable. Spiro also held a press conference earlier this week at which he downplayed the allegations and stated that the charges seem to rely on the testimony of a disgruntled former staff member.

In addition to challenging the charges, Spiro has accused the Department of Justice of leaking grand jury information to the media, which he claims have unfairly damaged Adams’s reputation.

On Tuesday, the defense lawyer filed a motion seeking sanctions against the government for the alleged leaks, requesting a hearing and even suggesting that the court should consider dismissing the indictment or suppressing certain evidence as a remedy.