Judge dismisses corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams
[April 03, 2025]
By JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge dismissed New York City Mayor Eric
Adams’ corruption case on Wednesday, agreeing it was the only practical
outcome while blasting the Justice Department’s “troubling” rationale
for wanting the charges thrown out — namely so the Democrat could help
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The judge, though, denied prosecutors the option to refile the charges
after the mayoral election. Judge Dale E. Ho’s order to dismiss the case
“with prejudice” spares Adams from having to govern in a way that
pleases Trump or potentially risk having the Republican's Justice
Department revive the charges.
The judge said he wasn't opining on the merits of the case, but that
courts can't force prosecutors to move forward. Still, he expressed
qualms about the government's move, saying “there are many reasons to be
troubled” by its reasoning.
“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the indictment in
exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho wrote. He said he found
it “disturbing” that public officials might get special treatment from
prosecutors by complying with policy goals.
He rejected an alternative the Justice Department had sought —
dismissing the case “without prejudice,” which would have left room for
the charges to be refiled.
“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,” the judge wrote.
The mayor claims victory
Adams lauded the judge’s decision during brief remarks outside the
mayoral residence.
“As I said all along, this case never should have been brought, and I
did nothing wrong," he said.
“I have always been solely beholden to the people of this city,” the
mayor added. “No special interests, no political opponents, but just
everyday New Yorkers, just you.”
Asked about his chances for reelection, Adams said: "I’m gonna win."
He closed by holding up a copy and encouraging people to read FBI
Director Kash Patel’s 2023 book “Government Gangsters," which alleged a
“sinister cabal” at the heart of government.
The Justice Department said in a statement that Adams' case had been “an
example of political weaponization and a waste of resources.”
Ho’s decision follows a legal drama that roiled the Justice Department,
created turmoil in City Hall and left Adams’ mayoralty hanging by a
thread amid questions about his political independence and ability to
govern.
Several prosecutors in New York and Washington quit rather than carry
out the Justice Department's directive to drop the case against Adams.
After four of Adams’ top deputies decided to resign, Gov. Kathy Hochul
pondered taking the unprecedented step of ousting a New York City mayor.
The governor, a fellow Democrat, ultimately concluded it would be
undemocratic and disruptive to do so and instead proposed new oversight
for city government.
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In this photo taken from video, New York mayor Eric Adams speaks
after a federal judge dismissed his corruption case, Wednesday,
April 2, 2025, in New York. (New York City Mayor's Office via AP)
At a Feb. 19 hearing, Adams told Ho: “I have not committed a crime.”
The basis for the case
Adams pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges after a 2024
indictment accused him of accepting illegal campaign contributions
and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others — and
returning the favors by, among other things, helping Turkey open a
diplomatic building without passing fire inspections.
The case, brought during President Joe Biden's administration, was
on track for an April trial until Trump’s Justice Department moved
to drop it. Ho delayed the trial while considering what to do,
seeking advice from former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement.
Ho's decision comes about three months before a Democratic primary
that will likely choose the New York's next mayor.
Adams faces a large field of challengers, including former Gov.
Andrew Cuomo and several Democrats who say he’s now too indebted to
Trump for New Yorkers to be sure he’ll prioritize their interests.
Adams has said he's “solely beholden to the 8.3 million New Yorkers
that I represent, and I will always put this city first.”
As recently as Jan. 6, Manhattan federal prosecutors wrote in court
papers that they continued to “uncover additional criminal conduct
by Adams.” But a month later, their new Washington superiors decided
to abandon the case.
In court filings and a hearing, then-acting Deputy Attorney General
Emil Bove said he was "particularly concerned about the impact of
the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ ability to support” Trump’s
immigration objectives. Bove also questioned the prior
administration’s motives in pursuing Adams, who had criticized
Biden’s handling of immigration.
The Trump administration’s acting U.S. attorney in New York,
Danielle Sassoon, resisted Bove’s order, saying she couldn’t defend
a dismissal linked to political considerations.
Sassoon and several other career prosecutors quit in protest.
Adams, a retired police captain and former state lawmaker and
Brooklyn official, was elected in 2021 as a centrist Democrat in a
liberal stronghold. Since his indictment, Adams has cultivated a
warmer relationship with Trump, telling mayoral staffers not to
criticize the president publicly.
___
Associated Press reporters Joseph B. Frederick and Larry Neumeister
in New York, Anthony Izaguirre in Albany and Alanna Durkin Richer in
Washington contributed.
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