Eric Adams corruption case dismissed by federal judge: ‘Smacks of a bargain’

A federal judge has dismissed the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) with prejudice, ensuring they cannot be refiled, writing that a Department of Justice (DOJ) request to leave open the possibility of future charges “smacks of a bargain.”

The ruling dropping the charges comes after the Trump administration’s DOJ requested that the case be dismissed against the embattled mayor, who was facing a range of charges alleging corruption. 

The ruling is notable in that the DOJ had requested the charges be dropped without prejudice, which would have allowed them to be possibly refiled at a later date.

Critics and legal experts expressed concern that the move could cause Adams to be under the Trump administration’s thumb to avoid the charges being refiled.

U.S. District Judge Dale Ho in the ruling slammed the DOJ’s rationales for dismissing the case, calling them “unsubstantiated.” Ho acknowledged briefs arguing the case shouldn’t be dropped and said many of them had merit but maintained the court has limited authority to reject the DOJ request.

The DOJ filed a highly controversial order to request the case against Adams be dropped in February after several federal prosecutors, including the acting U.S. attorney overseeing the case, resigned rather than submit the request.

Adams was charged in September based on allegations that for years he solicited and accepted bribes from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official trying to influence him. The indictment states that Adams’s actions began as early as 2014 and continued through his 2021 mayoral campaign and during his tenure as mayor.

He was charged with five counts, including bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.

Adams has maintained his innocence and argued the charges were politically motivated, pointing to his criticism of the Biden administration over its immigration policy. But he hasn’t pointed to any specific evidence.

But Adams’s allegations and his increasing ties to Trump as he was set to return to the Oval Office raised speculation the president would either pardon him or have the DOJ drop the charges against him.

The department in its arguments for dropping the case said that it had been tainted by “appearances of impropriety” and that it interfered with Adams’s ability to govern and address crime and illegal immigration.

Ho said the first rationale of the case being tainted is “unsupported by any objective evidence,” as the record shows prosecutors followed all DOJ guidelines, and has no signs of improper motive. He noted that the DOJ motion did not raise questions about the integrity of prosecutors responsible for the case.

On addressing the federal government’s crime and immigration priorities, Ho wrote that Adams has demonstrated his ability to take actions on immigration while under indictment, and the record shows that the mayor took a new immigration enforcement action after prosecutors moved to drop the case.

“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho wrote.

The former acting U.S. attorney who resigned, Danielle Sassoon, alleged a quid pro quo occurred in her resignation letter, saying Adams’s attorneys “repeatedly” pushed for it.

Adams has denied that claim.

Alex Spiro, Adams’s attorney, declared victory in response to Ho’s ruling, saying the case should never have been brought.

“The case against Eric Adams should have never been brought in the first place—and finally today that case is gone forever,” he said. “From Day 1, the mayor has maintained his innocence and now justice for Eric Adams and New Yorkers has prevailed.”

Ho said despite compelling arguments criticizing the DOJ’s move, he could not rule to keep the case going. He said the court’s role in this type of motion is to protect the rights of the defendant, and a court cannot compel the government to continue a case it doesn’t want to pursue.

But he added that dismissing it with prejudice ensures that the threat of charges being refiled cannot be used as leverage against Adams.

Ho said his ruling shouldn’t be seen as weighing in on Adams’s guilt or innocence, as the mayor is innocent until proven guilty, adding that the motion from DOJ wasn’t based on the merits of the case, unlike many other motions to dismiss charges.

Updated at 1:25 p.m. EDT