Eric Adams was already hemorrhaging staff. Now his top deputy mayor is leaving.

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ first deputy mayor is leaving City Hall while under federal investigation — the latest high-profile departure as the mayor cleans house under pressure from his growing legal woes.

Sheena Wright is expected to resign soon, according to six people familiar with the situation. Her expected departure has been rumored for days, and was first reported in the New York Post.

The people, who were granted anonymity to speak freely about the sensitive matter, said Adams pushed out Wright because of existing tensions.

“She was forced out,” one said.

Her resignation comes just days after Adams was federally indicted on bribery and corruption charges and as several investigations swirl around his administration and political operation. The mayor has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges and has vowed to remain in office.

One individual familiar with the mayor’s thinking said Wright is not the manager needed for the moment, as the administration attempts to allay concerns over its ability to operate effectively.

Adams himself tried to suggest his government would keep operating as normal.

“What’s important to me, is that those who are here, like my core deputy mayors, that they’re able to carry out their portfolio,” he said to reporters Friday morning when asked if Wright was leaving. “They've done an amazing job thus far, and my conversations with them: let's keep doing the work we’re doing.”

“As the announcements come up, we're going to let the city and everyone else know who are the people that are coming in,” he added, referring to new hires.

Wright did not return messages left on her phone.

An individual familiar with her thinking said she felt belittled by City Hall officials — including Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a senior Adams aide whose home was raided recently . The mayor’s decision to force out her husband, Schools Chancellor David Banks, didn’t help matters, either.

“She’s been unhappy in City Hall for a long time,” the individual, who was granted anonymity to speak about a sensitive subject, said. “She always felt undermined by others in City Hall — including by Ingrid — but what just happened to her husband sped up her timeline.”

Adams’ press office declined to comment on Wright’s departure.

Adams is under pressure from Gov. Kathy Hochul to rid his administration of controversial advisers, in an effort to maintain New Yorkers’ trust.

Federal investigators visited Wright’s home last month and seized her phone, as well as that of Banks, who is also stepping down. Ongoing corruption probes have also ensnared other top Adams appointees, including NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, senior adviser Tim Pearson and deputy mayor for public safety Phil Banks. Banks is David’s brother and Wright’s brother-in-law.

Weeks after those probes came to light, Adams was indicted on bribery charges in a separate case.

Wright’s leaving seemed inevitable after Adams forced David Banks to leave his role this month, rather than January as the chancellor had initially planned. Banks released a terse statement Thursday through an outside public relations agency suggesting Adams was pushing him out .

“Last week, I announced my planned retirement, and I was ready, willing and able to stay in my post until December 31st to conduct a responsible transition for our staff,” he said. “The Mayor has decided to accelerate that timeline. My focus will be on supporting the incoming Chancellor as she assumes this new role and continues the great work that we have started at New York City Public Schools.”

In a sign of the deepening rift, Banks reportedly refused to participate in a virtual meeting Friday with Bronx Council Member Kristy Marmorato and city agency commissioners about her district’s priorities.

Adams, who joined the meeting, requested that commissioners and senior staff participate.

"He said 'Where is the chancellor, where is DOE?' And they were only able to hear from a junior-level staffer,” an individual familiar with the matter told POLITICO, adding that no DOE deputy chancellors were on the call. "David refuses to be in any more meetings with the mayor."

Wright and Banks, who recently wed on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, sparked rumors that they sought to use spousal privilege to avoid testifying against each other. Banks denied that speculation.

The wedding preceded a tense week. This Thursday, Wright pushed away the camera of a Post journalist who was asking her for comment on Banks’ departure.

Before taking her high-ranking post at City Hall, Wright worked as an attorney at a law firm and led the United Way of New York City. She chaired Adams’ transition committee after he was elected in 2021 and was then appointed deputy mayor for strategic initiatives. She was elevated to first deputy mayor in 2023 after Lorraine Grillo left the position vacant.

Besides Wright and Banks, Caban and Pearson have also been pushed out of the administration in recent weeks. Before that, Adams’ chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, dramatically announced her own resignation over the mayor’s reluctance to cut ties with appointees. And amid the chaos, Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan announced he would step down at the end of the year.

If Wright leaves, Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom would take over her duties until a replacement is named, per an executive order Adams signed last week.

Williams-Isom joked to POLITICO Friday that she would not want the high-stress job permanently.

“I would be divorced from my husband,” she said. "And I really like my husband.”

Joe Anuta and Emily Ngo contributed to this report.