DOJ asks federal prosecutors to drop corruption case against NYC mayor

• The Justice Department has requested that federal prosecutors drop the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Those charges, first brought in September 2024, include bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two charges relating to receiving campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
• In a memo obtained by The New York Times, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove cited concerns about the integrity of the case and the impact of pretrial publicity on potential witnesses and the jury pool.
• Adams is running for re-election and has maintained his innocence, calling the prosecution politically motivated.

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The Justice Department is requesting that federal prosecutors drop the corruption case against sitting New York City Mayor Eric Adams. That’s according to a memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, obtained by The New York Times.

In September 2024, Adams was indicted on five charges, including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two charges relating to receiving campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

Adams, a Democrat, is running for re-election this year. He pleaded not guilty, and the trial was set for this spring — just months before the Democratic primary.

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The Feb. 10 memo directs the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to dismiss the pending charges “as soon as practicable” without prejudice, meaning the charges could be re-filed in the future.

The memo states the timing of the charges, along with recent public actions by the former U.S. attorney who initiated the case, Damian Williams, have raised concerns about the integrity of the proceedings. These actions have contributed to heightened prejudicial pretrial publicity, which could influence potential witnesses and the jury pool.

“It cannot be ignored that Mayor Adams criticized the prior administration’s immigration policies before the charges were filed … We are particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts ‘to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,’” Bove writes, citing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order.

The memo also says the pending case has unfairly limited Adams’ capacity to focus fully on addressing the illegal immigration and violent crime issues that worsened under the Biden administration.

Since his indictment, Adams has maintained his innocence, saying he was politically persecuted for criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of mass migration.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, said in a statement: “As I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent — and he would prevail. Today, he has. The Department of Justice has reevaluated this case and determined it should not go forward.”

Last month, Adams visited President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home and attended his inauguration.