New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ historic federal corruption case has been dropped.
Judge Dale Ho has agreed to the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to drop the charges against Adams, but he did so “with prejudice.” That means Adams cannot be re-tried on the same charges at a later time – a stipulation the Justice Department sought in its initial request to dismiss the case.
The decision to formally drop the case comes after Judge Ho appointed Paul Clement as a “friend of the court” to present arguments over the DOJ’s request. The initial hearing on the request did not include anyone who opposed the move. In his filing to the court, Clement argued the case should be dropped with prejudice to prevent the appearance that Adams remains under political pressure.
The outcome appears to put an end to the legal jeopardy that Adams had been in ever since he was indicted last September on five counts of bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations.
In the DOJ request to drop the case, prosecutors said having it hang over Adams interfered with his 2025 mayoral campaign and his ability to cooperate with the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
The initial request to drop the charges made note that the decision was not based on “the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.”
That triggered concerns that Adams could not effectively govern the city because he would be beholden to the Trump administration, as long as the possibility of the charges returning remained in place.
Adams and his attorneys have vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Read the judge’s order
Move to drop charges sparked resignations
The DOJ memo seeking to drop the charges set off a spate of resignations that started in City Hall, at the very heart of Adams’ inner circle, and reached all the way to the U.S. attorney’s office. At issue was then-Acting U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon’s allegation that the request to dismiss the case amounted to a quid pro quo, namely Adams’ cooperation on President Trump’s immigration enforcement in exchange for his charges being dropped. Sassoon resigned, rather than drop the charges, as did several other people in the U.S. attorney’s office.
The mayor and his attorney pushed back strenuously against the notion of a quid pro quo.
“The idea that there was a quid pro quo is a total lie. We offered nothing and the department asked nothing of us,” Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro said.
Allegations that Adams had been compromised by the Trump administration and was operating, essentially, under its thumb led four New York City deputy mayors to resign and spurred numerous calls for Adams to step down. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, then met with key leaders to discuss his future. She ultimately acted to limit Adams’ powers in a bid to restore trust in government, but said she wouldn’t remove him.
What Adams has been accused of
Last September, federal prosecutors alleged Adams had been abusing his power for almost a decade. They said he solicited illegal campaign donations from wealthy foreigners and corporations, including a Turkish government official.
In the 57-page indictment, Adams was accused of receiving gifts he didn’t disclose, including luxury travel, worth more than $100,000, in return for political favors.
“These upgrades and freebies were not part of some frequent flyer or loyalty program available to the general public. As we allege, this was a multi-year scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise,” then-U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District Damian Williams said as he announced the indictment.
Prosecutors accused Adams of pressuring FDNY officials to approve the Turkish consulate building in Manhattan, despite fire safety concerns.
The Adams campaign was also accused of using “straw donors” for illicit contributions, enabling it to tap into $10 million in matching funds.
“These are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again for years,” Williams said.
Before the DOJ stepped in, prosecutors appeared to be ramping up their case, claiming they had uncovered “additional criminal conduct.”
Adams associates also under investigation
The historic indictment came amid multiple investigations into Adams’ campaign, as well as other administration officials.
Numerous top members of the Adams administration resigned before the indictment was announced, including former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and his twin brother, James Caban. Former Schools Chancellor David Banks and his wife, former Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and his brother, former Deputy Mayor Philip Banks III, were also investigated.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a longtime Adams advisor, pleaded not guilty to bribery, money laundering and conspiracy in a case involving her son and two real estate developers. The mayor’s former liaison for the Muslim community, Mohamed Bahi, was also charged with conspiracy for his role in collecting illegal donations for Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign and has agreed to plead guilty, according to court documents.
Jacob Rosen and
Marcia Kramer
contributed to this report.
