The Justice Department has instructed federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to drop the bribery case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The directive came Monday in a letter from acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove. It was not immediately clear how Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. Attorney, would respond.
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.
Mayor Eric Adams speaks during State of the City address on Jan. 9, 2025 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Despite the defense attorney’s assertion of the mayor’s innocence, the letter instructing SDNY to dismiss the charges said the Justice Department had made no assessment about the strength of the evidence, sources briefed on the letter’s contents told ABC News.
Rather, the sources said, the letter from acting deputy attorney general Bove questioned the timing of when the charges were brought, suggesting the case was part of the Biden administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department.
Bove also said the case adversely affected Adams’ ability to help the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, according to the sources.
Federal prosecutors were instructed to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning it could come up again. However, according to the sources, Bove said nothing could happen until after this year’s mayoral election.
Any motion to dismiss the case would have to be formally filed in court and reviewed by the judge.
“As I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent — and he would prevail. Today he has,” the mayor’s defense attorney Alex Spiro said in a statement to ABC News.
“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,” Spiro added.
Adams has spent time with President Donald Trump recently, including meeting with him in South Florida and attending his inauguration.
The mayor has the backing of Trump, who has claimed Adams was unjustly charged by federal prosecutors and has said he would “take a look” at a pardon for him. “I think that he was treated pretty unfairly,” Trump said of Adams during a press briefing in December.
Adams, who was elected in 2021, is the first sitting New York City mayor to ever face charges.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
