Judge permanently dismisses NYC Mayor Eric Adams' corruption indictment 

MANHATTAN (CN) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered that the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams be dismissed permanently, putting to rest an unusual weekslong saga that saw a wave of prosecutor resignations as the Department of Justice sought to ice its own investigation against the first-term Democrat.

The Justice Department in February asked to dismiss the case without prejudice, keeping open the option to re-indict Adams in the future. That, along with the resignations of several prominent prosecutors that followed, stirred suspicion of a quid pro quo between Adams and the Trump administration in which the mayor would help with federal deportation efforts in exchange for the dropped charges.

A significant portion of Wednesday’s 78-page ruling from U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, a Joe Biden appointee, was dedicated to how he should navigate what he called “possibly a quid pro quo arrangement.”

Ultimately, the judge found that permanent dismissal, “with prejudice,” was the best move.

“In light of DOJ’s rationales, dismissing the case without prejudice would create the unavoidable perception that the mayor’s freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration, and that he might be more beholden to the demands of the federal government than to the wishes of his own constituents,” Ho wrote. “That appearance is inevitable, and it counsels in favor of dismissal with prejudice.”

Adams independently moved for the case to be dropped permanently, though he also supported the Justice Department’s bid to dismiss the indictment without prejudice.

The issue prompted former judges, law groups and other amici to pen letters to the court expressing concerns about the Justice Department’s handling of the case. Some even suggested that Ho should appoint private prosecutors to see the case through without the federal government.

But Ho found that he “has no authority to require” that the case continue.

“To be clear, the court again emphasizes that it does not express any opinion as to the merits of the case or whether the prosecution of Mayor Adams ‘should’ move forward,” the judge said, adding that the court “can only play a limited role” in situations like this, when the Justice Department refuses to prosecute.

The Trump administration has previously suggested that prosecutors brought the case against Adams purely for political reasons, specifically by former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams. Ho noted that he found “no evidence — zero — that they had any improper motives.”

Addressing reporters at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan Wednesday afternoon, Adams celebrated the dismissal of the “baseless case that should have never been brought in the first place” and thanked his celebrity lawyer Alex Spiro.

“Now I clearly understand why those from Jay Z to [Alec] Baldwin call on him during difficult times,” Adams said. “I did nothing wrong. I am now happy that our city can finally close the book on this.”

Adams concluded his brief speech by assuring reporters that he is going to win his upcoming reelection campaign. In most mayoral polls, Adams currently sits in third place among Democrats, trailing former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and democratic socialist New York State assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.

“This case was an example of political weaponization and a waste of resources,” a Justice Department spokesperson told Courthouse News on Wednesday. “We are focused on arresting and prosecuting terrorists while returning the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe.”

Adams, the embattled first-term Democrat and former NYPD captain, was slapped with a historic five-count indictment in September 2024 that charged him with taking and concealing bribes and illegal campaign contributions from wealthy foreign businessmen and a Turkish government official.

Prosecutors said Adams took bribes in the form of luxury Turkish Airline tickets in exchange for favors for the foreign actors, who sought to use the mayor for political gain. For instance, prosecutors accused Adams of stepping in to help the Turkish government get the city’s approval to open a 36-story Manhattan skyscraper housing the Turkish Consulate General in 2021, despite lacking the required fire safety approval to do so.

Adams also defrauded a city program that matches small-dollar donations during his mayoral campaign, according to prosecutors. He has been barred from using that program again for his 2025 reelection campaign.

Adams was set to become the first active New York City mayor to stand criminal trial this spring — until the Trump administration presented itself as an unexpected ally.

After months of Adams cozying up to President Donald Trump — meeting with him at Mar-a-Lago, attending his inauguration and agreeing not to criticize him publicly — the Justice Department on Feb. 10 ordered federal prosecutors to drop their ongoing corruption case against the mayor.

It was an order that shocked City Hall and the Justice Department to its core. Four deputy mayors stepped down, concerned that Adams was now beholden to Trump. And at least seven federal prosecutors resigned rather than agree to dismiss the case.

Danielle Sassoon, the former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was one such prosecutor. She said in her Feb. 13 resignation letter that negotiations between Adams’ lawyers and top officials in Trump’s Justice Department “amounted to a quid pro quo” in which the mayor would assist with federal deportation efforts in exchange for having his indictment dismissed.

Adams and his legal team have repeatedly denied the presence of a quid pro quo, as has Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove — Trump’s former criminal attorney and the apparent mastermind behind the negotiations with Adams’ camp.

Even so, Bove was asked to explain his decision to drop the case at a Feb. 19 hearing in the Southern District of New York.

“You have a record undisputed that there is no quid pro quo,” Bove said. “But I don’t concede that, even if there was a quid pro quo, that there would be an issue with this motion.”

Ho reserved ruling on the dismissal request at the time.

Legal scandals have largely defined Adams’ tenure as mayor of New York City. In September 2023, former New York City Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich was charged by Manhattan prosecutors for using his position to dole out favors, including access to the mayor, in exchange for money and other bribes.

In December 2024, Adams’ top mayoral adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin was indicted on suspicion of using her proximity to the mayor to trade influence for cash and perks for her son.

Adams also faces a sexual assault lawsuit in civil court from a former colleague who claims that he demanded oral sex from her in 1993 in exchange for career help.

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