Justice Department Wants Eric Adams Case Dropped

The Department of Justice has directed Manhattan prosecutors to drop their criminal case against Mayor Eric Adams.

In a memo, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed prosecutors to dismiss their five count indictment against Adams, citing that the timing of the charges “improperly interfered” with the mayor’s 2025 mayoral campaign and inhibited Adams’ ability to enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, the New York Times reported.

The memo indicates that the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York should revisit the case after the November mayoral election.

For months, questions about the mayor’s future have loomed over City Hall. The mayor was accused of accepting bribes and fraudulent campaign donations, arranged by his own staffers and Turkish operators. In exchange, Adams allegedly intervened to help speed up donors’ construction projects.

Following the indictment and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s directive to “bring in new blood to help stabilize the city,” several officials resigned from the administration. The mayor’s chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, stayed on until just before she was indicted on bribery charges.

The mayor was charged with one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe. The charges carried a maximum prison sentence of 45 years.

To follow the Justice Department’s order, Manhattan prosecutors will need to file a motion seeking to dismiss the case.

The mayor has long presented himself as an ally to the real estate industry. At the Real Estate Board of New York’s gala last month, he told TRD that he had delivered on promises to the industry that he would “bring back confidence to the city” and make it safer.

Last month, the mayor announced a small (2.9 percent) drop in crime from 2023 to 2024. Last year saw the lowest levels of major crimes tracked by the NYPD in Adams’ tenure, but overall crime has gone up since he became mayor, according to Politico.

Adams has pushed for policies that would make it easier to build in the city, and recently celebrated the passage of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, which eased parking requirements and created a new density bonus program for projects that include affordable housing.

Adams still faces a crowded primary, and it is unclear if he can count on the kind of support he previously enjoyed from the industry.

The Justice Department’s order comes after the mayor publicly softened his stance against the Trump administration, visited Mar-a-Lago and attended the inauguration. The president has indicated that he would consider pardoning Adams.

— Kathryn Brenzel