US Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor

A federal judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, weeks after the Trump administration instructed federal prosecutors to drop the charges.

The ruling comes after the Manhattan judge declared the case dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning the Department of Justice cannot revive the charges based on the same evidence.

The Justice Department sought to have the case dismissed to free up Adams to cooperate with the mayor’s immigration agenda, however, the department wanted the case dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be brought again.

Adams had been charged with conspiracy, fraud, illegal campaign contributions, and bribery. The allegations, stemming from an indictment in September, claimed Adams accepted over $100,000 in gifts from Turkish nationals in exchange for political favours. Adams consistently denied the charges.

US District Judge Dale Ho declined to endorse the DOJ’s desired outcome.

“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. That appearance is inevitable, and it counsels in favor of dismissal with prejudice,” Ho decided.

In a scathing 78-page ruling on Wednesday, Ho said he was unconvinced by the Justice Department’s logic that the case against Adams was preventing the mayor from enforcing the administration’s immigration actions.

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

Ho noted that reviving the case could suggest the mayor was more influenced by the federal government than by his constituents.

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The move follows pressure from the Trump administration, with acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove ordering the case’s dismissal to avoid hindering Adams’ ability to tackle illegal immigration and violent crime, key Trump administration priorities.

This led to the resignation of Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and six other high-ranking Justice officials, who alleged their dismissal was politically motivated and lacked legal merit.

Following the judge’s decision, a Justice Department spokesperson said the Adams case, which was brought during the Biden administration, “was an example of political weaponization and a waste of resources.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after the case was dismissed, Adams said the case “should have never been brought and I did nothing wrong”.