Day: April 2, 2025

The criminal indictment against Mayor Eric Adams is over.

Federal Judge Dale Ho dismissed the five-count criminal campaign fraud indictment against Adams in a Wednesday ruling “with prejudice,” meaning that federal prosecutors will not be able to resurrect the case against him. 

Ho’s ruling comes after six weeks of speculation about the future of the historic indictment handed down last September, which accused the mayor of accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign donations from Turkish nationals in exchange for helping them open a Manhattan consulate building that did not pass city fire inspections.

The Trump Justice Department initially moved to dismissed the case in February, arguing that the impending trial against Adams would interfere in his ability to assist the Trump administration in its immigration crackdown. But prosecutors, under the direction of acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, sought to end the case “without prejudice,” giving them room to resurrect the indictment at any time, for any reason.

That decision led to upheaval at the Justice Department that culminated with a wave of resignations, including that of acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon, who argued in a Feb. 12 letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi that Adams’ attorneys had requested a “quid pro quo” — cooperation with Trump in exchange for having the case dismissed. Adams’ defense team denied the charge and moved to have the case dismissed “with prejudice,” citing alleged prosecutorial misconduct. 

Critics, however, alleged that the rumored “quid pro quo” and the Justice Department’s “without prejudice” request had put Mayor Adams in a compromised position, virtually making him subservient to President Trump for fear of having the indictment brought back. While Mayor Adams initially expressed vindication with the Justice Department’s efforts, calls mounted for his resignation or removal from office by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The governor ultimately declined to fire Adams, instead urging approval of new legislative guardrails to check the mayor’s power.

In the 78-page brief announcing his decision on April 2, Judge Ho rebuffed the Justice Department’s arguments that the case itself had impaired Adams “in his immigration efforts.” 

“Instead, it shows that after DOJ decided to seek dismissal of his case, the Mayor took at least one new immigration-related action consistent with the preferences of the new administration,” Ho wrote, citing Mayor Adams’ decision to reopen the ICE office on Rikers Island days after the DOJ’s move to dismiss the case and the mayor’s meeting with Trump Border Czar Tom Homan. 

“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho said. 

In the end, Judge Ho said that he had to dismiss the indictment “with prejudice” due to the Trump Justice Department’s request to end the case. He noted that his decision did not mean that Mayor Adams was necessarily not guilty of the charges against him.

“Mayor Adams, like any person accused of a crime, is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Ho wrote. “If this case were to proceed to trial, it would be the Government’s burden to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, each element of the offenses with which he is charged. Because of DOJ’s decision to abandon this case, that trial will not occur.”

Nonetheless, Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro expressed relief the indictment was dead.

“The case against Eric Adams should have never been brought in the first place—and finally, today, that case is gone forever,” Spiro said. “From Day 1, the mayor has maintained his innocence, and now, justice for Eric Adams and New Yorkers has prevailed.”

This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for updates.