After months of cozying up to Republicans, New York City Mayor Eric Adams may be free and clear: The U.S Department of Justice (DOJ), under the Trump administration, is reportedly getting the charges dropped on his federal indictment.
On Monday, Feb. 10, prosecutors in Manhattan were told to drop federal corruption charges against Adams in a memo to acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon. Former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who initially brought the case against Adams, resigned before Trump took office.
The memo, from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, said that prosecutors are “authorized by the Attorney General, to dismiss the pending charges in United States v. Adams, No. 24 Cr. 556 (SDNY) as soon as is practicable,” and that the matter will be reviewed by the newly confirmed Manhattan U.S. Attorney after the November 2025 mayoral election.
According to the memo, “The Justice Department has reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based, which are issues on which we defer to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at this time.”
Bove wrote that the “timing of the charges” and the actions of Williams “threatened the integrity of the proceedings.” He added that the DOJ is not offering to “exchange dismissal of a criminal case for Adams’s assistance on immigration enforcement.”
Adams was indicted on a five-count felony charge, including bribery, conspiracy, campaign finance violations, seeking and accepting improper gifts, and donations from a foreign national. His trial was to begin in April of this year. If convicted, he would face a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.
In a short speech streamed from City Hall on Feb. 11, where there was no press and no questions taken, Adams said that he “never broke the law” or put any “personal benefit” above his duties to the city. He restated his innocence, quoted scripture, and said he was determined to move forward.
“I also understand that many New Yorkers will question my character, and I know that I must continue to regain your trust,” Adams said. “I’ve learned a lot over the last year, and this experience has been humbling, but as we have been dragged through this unfortunate prosecution, I never took my eyes off what was important: you and your families’ future. And because of that, our city government has never been stronger.”
Adams reiterated that crime was down and jobs were up, among other accomplishments made during his time in office. “This has been the most difficult 15 months of my life, but my inspiration was knowing I was fighting for the people of this city,” he said.
“Now, thankfully, the mayor and New York can put this unfortunate and misguided prosecution behind them,” Alex Spiro, the mayor’s lawyer, told the Associated Press (AP).
This comes shortly after The City reported that Adams deliberately told his commissioners and top officials not to criticize Trump or interfere with immigration enforcement in places like schools and hospitals.
“It’s f***ing bananas,” said former Congressmember Jamaal Bowman in reaction to the news. “We’ve always been led to believe that the might of the Justice Department is thorough and has something like a 98% conviction rate based on ample evidence, and now they’re just going to drop the charges without real explanation. That’s crazy and dystopian, if I’m being honest. And to see Adams go down to Florida on bended knee, kissing the ring of King Trump, and getting a pardon: That’s what reeks. I don’t know if he did it or not. Just the image of this strong Black man having to do that is sickening. It’s about how power moves and manipulates.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network (NAN) and a mentor to and long-time supporter of Adams, issued a statement on Feb.11 expressing deep concern for Adams rather than congratulating him.
“I am concerned about last night’s developments, particularly that the directive says the Mayor should not go to trial so he can work on President Trump’s policies on immigration and crime. It is unheard of in a criminal justice proceeding to suggest you not deal with the criminal allegations for political or policy reasons,” Sharpton said. “So if the Mayor were to disagree with the President, does that mean they have the right to call a trial on him at any time? It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the Mayor hostage.”
A chorus of mayoral candidates who are running against Adams in the primary this June immediately slammed him, Trump, and the DOJ.
Brooklyn State Senator Zellnor Myrie posted that it was clear that Trump had a hand in the charges being dropped against Adams. “If there was any doubt left, today’s news makes it clear that justice is dead in America. The decision by Trump’s Department of Justice to drop charges against Eric Adams should outrage every single New Yorker,” Myrie said. “We already know that Eric Adams has sacrificed the safety and sanctity of our schools and public hospitals to curry favor with this fascist Administration. How many more of our rights and freedoms did the Mayor give up to save his own skin?”
Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer said in a statement that the “only New Yorker breathing a sigh of relief tonight is Eric Adams. The rest of us are facing unaffordable housing and childcare costs and rising crime and disorder. But thankfully, New Yorkers — not the president — get to decide who is mayor next year.”
Councilmember Justin Brannan, a candidate for city comptroller, added in a statement: “On the day he told his cabinet not to criticize Donald Trump, Eric Adams got exactly what he wanted: a lifeline from the White House. Let’s be clear, this case wasn’t dropped because of the merits or the facts. It was dropped because Eric Adams kissed Trump’s ring. And we wonder why everyday working people think the system is rigged against them and only serves the powerful and the well connected.”
A slew of nonprofits and advocates shared the same sentiment.
New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) President and CEO Murad Awawdeh, said in a statement that there’s no doubt Adams “has sold out immigrant New Yorkers to keep himself out of prison.”
“Accountability, transparency, integrity, and independence are the core principles of good government and essential to the preservation of the rule of law. And they apply equally at both City Hall and the Justice Department,” said Citizens Union Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum and Board Chair John Avlon in a statement. “This absurd directive from Washington undermines the equal application of the law in current and future efforts to prosecute charges of public corruption and hold elected officials accountable. It confirms that Mayor Adams’ irresponsible and repeatedly debunked accusations against prosecutors have found a receptive audience of one residing in the White House.”