Corruption charges dismissed against Mayor Adams
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ criminal corruption case has officially been dismissed after months of internal controversy within the Justice Department. FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay has the latest details.
NEW YORK – Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ criminal corruption case has officially been dismissed after months of internal controversy within the Justice Department.
Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case with prejudice, blocking President Donald Trump’s DOJ attempt to preserve the option of bringing it back in the future.
This comes after a former U.S. solicitor general advised Judge Ho to accept a Justice Department request to drop corruption charges against Adams.
What we know:
The decision follows a legal drama that roiled the Justice Department and City Hall.
What does ‘with prejudice’ mean?
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.
In a statement, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, said: “The case against Eric Adams should have never been brought in the first place—and finally today that case is gone forever. From Day 1, the mayor has maintained his innocence and now justice for Eric Adams and New Yorkers has prevailed.”
The backstory:
Adams had 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.
This is a breaking news report. Check back with FOX 5 NY as this story develops.
Mayor Eric Adams leaves criminal federal court, Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse after attending the hearing on the Department of Justice motion to drop criminal corruption charges against him. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket
Reverse Timeline: The Eric Adams corruption case
Timeline:
Here’s a look at how the corruption case unfolded and how the federal government had pushed to dismiss the case:
Tuesday, June 24: New York City’s primary election day
Monday, April 21: Adams’ trial was scheduled to start.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams listens to a questions from reporters during a press conference at City Hall on December 12, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Tuesday, March 11: Federal judge Dale E. Ho, who was tasked with deciding whether to dismiss corruption charges against Adams, canceled a scheduled hearing. He said he had reviewed filings from the parties and a court-appointed legal expert, all of whom favor dismissal, and “does not at this time believe that oral argument is necessary.”
Friday, March 7: Paul Clement, a former solicitor general under President George W. Bush, advised Ho to accept a Justice Department request to drop corruption charges against Adams. Clement said Ho should prevent prosecutors from ever reviving the case so it doesn’t hang over Adams “like the proverbial Sword of Damocles.”
FILE – Dale Ho, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, speaks to reporters after he argued before the Supreme Court against the Trump administration’s plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census, in Washington, April 23, 2019. (AP P
Wednesday, Feb. 19: Adams faced federal judge Ho, who adjourned the corruption trial and appointed counsel to advise him on how to handle the Justice Department’s request to drop charges against the mayor.
Tuesday, Feb. 18: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was weighing removing Adams from office following the resignation of four of his deputy mayors.
Monday, Feb. 17: Four of Adams’ top deputies announced their resignations.
Friday, Feb. 14: The Justice Department formally asked a court to drop corruption charges against Adams.
Thursday, Feb. 13: Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned after she refused an order to drop corruption charges.
Manhattan US attorney resigns over Adams’ case
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. FOX 5 NY’s Robert Moses has the details.
Wednesday, Feb. 12: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would “look into” why the corruption charges against Adams had not yet been dropped. That same day, Sassoon laid out her objections to dropping the case in an eight-page letter to the attorney general.
Monday, Feb. 10: The Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors with SDNY to drop corruption charges against Adams and halt the ongoing investigation.
Monday, Jan. 6: Federal prosecutors indicated that the investigation into Adams remained active and that they continued to “uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams.”
Monday, Dec. 16, 2024: Donald Trump, president-elect at the time, said he’d consider pardoning the indicted mayor during a Mar-a-Lago press conference.
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Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024: Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing Adams of letting Turkish officials and businesspeople buy his influence with illegal campaign contributions and lavish overseas trips.
Who’s who in the Adams corruption case, fallout
Eric Adams: New York City’s Democratic mayor, who faces bribery and other charges stemming from a September 2024 indictment
Donald Trump: The Republican U.S. president who has previously expressed solidarity with Adams
Governor of New York Kathy Hochul (L) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams react on stage during the New York Liberty Championship ticker tape celebrating winning the 2024 WNBA Finals on October 24, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Im
Kathy Hochul: New York’s Democratic governor, who has the power to remove Adams from office
Pam Bondi: U.S. Attorney General, head of the Justice Department working to dismiss the federal case against Adams
Trump attorney Emil Bove looks at New York Criminal Court in Manhattan in New York City, on January 10, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / POOL / AFP)
Emil Bove: The Acting Deputy Attorney General, the U.S. Justice Department’s second in command, who filed paperwork to dismiss corruption charges against Adams
Danielle Sassoon: The former interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who penned a letter to Bondi saying she could not follow a directive to drop the office’s corruption case against Adams.
Danielle Sassoon, assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, exits court in New York, US, on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Former FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried is charged with seven counts of fraud and money laundering following the co
Hagen Scotten: The lead prosecutor on the Adams corruption case who resigned Friday after Justice Department officials ordered the dismissal of charges
Matthew Podolsky: The new acting U.S. attorney for SDNY after Sassoon’s departure. He has spent a decade in the SDNY office.
Jay Clayton: The former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman who Trump has expressed interest in nominating as the U.S. attorney for SDNY
Dale Ho: District Judge for SDNY who will hear the Justice Department’s rationale for dropping the corruption case
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall on October 22, 2021 in Downtown Brooklyn in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Jumaane Williams: New York City’s public advocate, who is next in line for mayor if Adams leaves office
Alex Spiro: Attorney for Adams
Damien Williams: The previous U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York when the office brought charges against Adams. Williams resigned before the Trump presidency.
Damian Williams, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference in New York, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Maria Torres-Springer: Former first Deputy Mayor who resigned Monday
Meera Joshi: Former Deputy Mayor for Operations who resigned Monday
Anne Williams-Isom: Former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services who resigned Monday
Chauncey Parker: Former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety who resigned Monday
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is pictured during press conference at Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan early Wednesday. (Photo by Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Brad Lander: NYC’s comptroller and Adams’ mayoral challenger, who has accused Adams of agreeing to do Trump’s bidding in exchange for leniency
Zohran Mamdani: A state assemblymember who is also running for mayor and a vocal critic of Adams
Alvin Bragg: The Manhattan District Attorney who could pursue a state version of the federal case against Adams. He’s already indicted two of Adams’ top aides.
Letitia James: The New York Attorney General, who may be able to sue Adams if her office has reason to believe he violated the New York False Claims Act, according to THE CITY.
