A federal judge has dismissed the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams, while ensuring prosecutors cannot revive the case.
Judge Dale Ho on Wednesday threw out the five-count indictment against the mayor, but required that the case be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that the case cannot be renewed. The Department of Justice had sought to dismiss the case without prejudice, noting that the indictment could be picked back up after the November election.
Elected officials as well as former federal prosecutors viewed the DOJ’s request as a blatant attempt to maintain leverage over the mayor to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump administration’s immigration policies and other priorities.
But on March 7, an attorney appointed by the court recommended that the judge dismiss the case with prejudice, citing that the possibility of reopening the case would hang “like the proverbial sword of Damocles over the accused.”
“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,” Ho wrote in his decision.
The decision puts to rest the criminal case against the mayor, but he still faces an uphill battle to get re-elected.
The 57-page indictment, which was unsealed in September, accused Adams of receiving illegal campaign contributions, as well as various discounted and upgraded international trips and stays at luxury hotels. Wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official provided these contributions and perks to gain influence over the mayor, according to the indictment.
The alleged scheme dated back to Adams’ time as Brooklyn borough president, and prosecutors accused the mayor of knowingly participating and at times, orchestrating it, as well as taking steps to hide the scheme from the public.
The scheme, as described in the indictment, involved a senior Turkish diplomat who allegedly organized straw donations from a construction company, which was not named in the indictment but appears to be KSK Construction.
In September 2021, three months after Adams’ victory in the Democratic primary ensured his election as mayor in November, the diplomat made clear that it was Adams’ “turn” to reciprocate the support and perks he had received from Turkey. “I know,” Adams wrote, according to the indictment.
Adams allegedly delivered by pressuring the fire commissioner — who had asked Adams to keep him in his post upon taking office — to accelerate a key approval the Turks needed to open a new, 36-story Turkish consular building at 821 United Nations Plaza.
The mayor has repeatedly maintained that he has not broken the law.
The Department of Justice ordered Manhattan prosecutors to drop the case in February, pointing to the timing of the indictment, saying it “improperly interfered” with the mayor’s 2025 mayoral campaign and inhibited Adams’ ability to enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
In the wake of the directive, several prosecutors and members of the Adams administration resigned. Interim U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Danielle Sassoon was among those who refused to carry out the DOJ’s request. In her resignation letter, Sassoon cited a Jan. 31 meeting between Adams’ attorneys and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, in which the mayor’s attorneys “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”
Soon after, First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayors Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom and Chauncey Parker announced they would step down. The resignations escalated calls on the mayor to step down. Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated that she would not remove the mayor, for now, but proposed various checks on his administration and ways for the city to challenge the Trump administration. Those restrictions on Adams, however, have not gone into effect.
Adams faces a crowded primary in June, though some have raised doubts that he will run as a Democrat. Although he once enjoyed support from the real estate industry, many have flocked to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign. In the latest fundraising round, Adams only brought in $36,000, compared to Cuomo’s $1.5 million.
Read more
DOJ tells prosecutors to drop charges against Eric Adams
Eric Adams faces prison. Does real estate have his back?
Inside the corruption charges against Eric Adams
