A federal judge dismisses NYC Mayor Adams’ corruption case, citing concerns about political influence

The corruption lawsuit against NYC Mayor Adams was permanently dismissed by a US judge after the Trump administration intervened. 

The criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been permanently dismissed by a federal judge, weeks after the Trump administration ordered federal prosecutors to drop the charges.

Following the Manhattan judge’s decision to dismiss the case “with prejudice,” which means the Department of Justice cannot reopen the charges using the same evidence, the decision was made. 

Adams has been charged with bribery, unlawful campaign contributions, fraud, and conspiracy. Adams was accused in a September indictment of accepting more than $100,000 in gifts from Turkish nationals in return for political favors. Adams refuted the accusations repeatedly. 

The dismissal of the case, according to US District Judge Dale Ho, would prevent the impression that Adams’ freedom was conditioned on meeting federal immigration demands.

Reviving the case may imply that the mayor was more swayed by the federal government than by his voters, Ho pointed out. 

In response to pressure from the Trump administration, acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove ordered the case to be dismissed in order to free Adams from impeding his efforts to address two of the administration’s top priorities: violent crime and illegal immigration.

Danielle Sassoon, Manhattan’s senior federal prosecutor, resigned as a result, claiming the firing was a quid pro quo deal. 

Alex Spiro, Adams’ lawyer, claimed that justice had been served for the mayor and New Yorkers after the decision, saying the lawsuit “should have never been brought.”