A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams and halt the ongoing investigation.
NEW YORK (WABC) — The Justice Department has instructed federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to drop the bribery case against New York Mayor Eric Adams.
The DOJ’s directive from Acting deputy Attorney General Emil Bove doesn’t get into the merits of the case, it instead suggests that it was biased, hurt Adams’ re-election bid, and impacted his ability to help the Trump administration crack down on illegal immigration.
The directive asks that the case be dismissed without prejudice..
A spokesman for the US Attorney’s office declined to comment.
“As I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent-and he would prevail. Today he has,” the mayor’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said in a statement. “The Department of Justice has reevaluated this case and determined it should not go forward…. Now, thankfully, the mayor and New York can put this unfortunate and misguided prosecution behind them.”
Adams has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that accused him of accepting years of luxury travel gifts in exchange for, among other things, persuading the fire department to approve the opening of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite the lingering safety concerns of inspectors.
He is scheduled to stand trial on federal corruption charges starting on April 21.
RELATED: More coverage of the Eric Adams’ investigation
Despite the defense attorney’s assertion of the mayor’s innocence, the letter obtained by ABC News instructing SDNY to dismiss the charges said the Justice Department had made no assessment about the strength of the evidence.
The letter instead criticizes the timing of when the charges were brought.
“First, the timing of the charges and more recent public actions by the former U.S. Attorney responsible for initiating the case have threatened the integrity of the proceedings, including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity that risks impacting 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…” the letter reads.
Bove goes onto express concern that the case could adversely affect Adams’ ability to help the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, writing that “the pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration.”
“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 said.
Any motion to dismiss the case must be formally filed in court and reviewed by the judge.
The move followed months of speculation that Trump’s Justice Department would take steps to end the criminal case against Adams.
After being indicted in September, Adams shifted his tone on Trump, rankling some in his own party for publicly praising the Republican and his hardline immigration agenda. The memo came hours after Adams directed his top officials not to publicly criticize Trump, including the president’s hardline immigration policies.
Trump had hinted at the possibility of a pardon in December, telling reporters that the mayor had been “treated pretty unfairly.” He had also claimed, without offering evidence, that Adams was being persecuted for criticizing former President Joe Biden’s policies on immigration.
After Trump’s inauguration, Adams’ lawyers had approached senior Justice Department officials, asking them to intervene and drop the case.
Adams then flew to Florida to meet with Trump on Jan. 17. Afterward, he said the two men hadn’t discussed his criminal case or the possibility of a pardon but implied that Trump’s agenda would be better for New York than former President Joe Biden’s.
In the letter, federal prosecutors were instructed to dismiss the case without prejudice. However, Bove wrote that the incoming U.S. Attorney will review the case after this year’s mayoral election.
The news drew the ire of Adams’ opponents.
“(Adams) said he wanted his day in court, but instead sidestepped that system using the privilege and power that so few people have access to. This is obscene and obvious – the White House doesn’t want to lose their deputy in New York City,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
“(Adams) instructed his top officials not to criticize Donald Trump. And now we know why,” New York City Comptroller Brad Lander tweeted.
“Donald Trump may think this buys him access to terrorize our communities, but New Yorkers always stand up for one another, no matter how many corrupt narcissists try to hurt our families,” New York State Senator Jessica Ramos said.
“The only New Yorker breathing a sigh of relief tonight is Eric Adams,” former New York State Representative Scott Stringer tweeted.
“This should outrage every New Yorker,” said State Senator and mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie.
Myrie who is looking to challenge Adams happened to be at a public forum when the news broke Monday night that the DOJ is asking Manhattan’s acting federal prosecutor to drop its bribery case against the mayor.
“Which New Yorkers was he willing to sell to get these changes dropped?” Myrie said.
Retired FBI Special Agent In Charge Richard Frankel said the district doesn’t have to drop the charges immediately.
“However, if they don’t, it’s my understanding that DOJ could dismiss the current acting chief of the Southern District,” Frankel said.
And despite the likelihood that the case will now be dropped Frankel said, “There’s nothing in the letter stating that they had discussed this or that it’s been agreed upon that the charges will be dismissed. So that was a little bit surprising that it’s not locked down.”
Damien Williams, the former Manhattan U.S. attorney, stepped down after Trump’s election victory. However, as recently as Jan. 6, prosecutors indicated that their investigation remained active, writing in court papers that they continued to “uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams.”
The acting U.S. attorney for Manhattan, Danielle Sassoon, will carry out the order to dismiss the case. She assumed her role the day after Trump took office. Her role was intended to be temporary. In November, Trump nominated Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post, an appointment that must be confirmed by the Senate.
Federal agents had also been investigating other senior Adams aides. Prior to the mayor’s indictment, federal authorities seized phones from a police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and the mayor’s director of Asian Affairs. Each of those officials denied wrongdoing but has since resigned.
In December, Adams’ chief adviser and closest confidant, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was indicted by a state prosecutor – the Manhattan district attorney – on charges that she and her son accepted $100,000 in bribes related to real estate construction projects.
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Some information from ABC News and the Associated Press
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A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams and halt the ongoing investigation.