A judge on Wednesday permanently dismissed federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The Justice Department moved to dismiss the charges in February, saying that continuing would interfere with Adams’ ability to govern and threaten “federal immigration initiatives and policies.” The department asked that the charges be “dismissed without prejudice,” allowing the case to be revived later.
The motion was met with criticism, with some arguing that the dismissal and its conditions — with the specter that charges could be brought again — made Adams, the mayor of the country’s largest city, beholden to President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday in New York City, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho appeared to agree.
“To the extent that the Government may be seeking to extract policy concessions from the Mayor, dismissal with prejudice rather than continuation of the prosecution best addresses that concern," Ho wrote in a 78-page order. "It ensures that, going forward, the charges in the Indictment cannot be used as leverage over Mayor Adams or the City of New York."
A spokesperson for the Justice Department described the order Wednesday as "an example of political weaponization and a waste of resources."
"We are focused on arresting and prosecuting terrorists while returning the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Adams told reporters outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, on Wednesday afternoon that the corruption charges were "baseless" and apologized to New Yorkers "for having to go through this with me."
"I want you to know that I never stopped working for you," he said. "Not for one day, not for one hour, not for one minute, because you are who I think about every morning. You are my North Star."
He thanked Jesus and held up a copy of FBI Director Kash Patel’s book “Government Gangsters." Adams encouraged New Yorkers to read it to “understand how we can never allow this to happen to another innocent American.”
Alex Spiro, an attorney for Adams, said the case "should have never been brought in the first place — and finally today that case is gone forever. From Day 1, the mayor has maintained his innocence and now justice for Eric Adams and New Yorkers has prevailed.”
"It’s not fun to ever be a victim of the corruption case theory. I hope that he breathes easy and is able to continue serving the great people of New York," Spiro told NBC News.
Adams was indicted in September and accused of receiving more than $100,000 worth of free plane tickets and luxury hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals for nearly a decade while he was serving in local government.
The indictment said that in return for the free airfare and hospitality, Adams used his position in local government to carry out favors. Notably, prosecutors accused him of pressuring the New York Fire Department to allow a Turkish Consulate building to open in 2021, despite legitimate safety concerns.
Adams pleaded not guilty and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Ho, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, emphasized that although the charges have been cleared, his order does not implicate Adams in or clear him of criminality.
"It is important to clarify that the Court’s decision today is not about whether Mayor Adams is innocent or guilty," he wrote. "Mayor Adams, like any person accused of a crime, is presumed innocent until proven guilty."
The Justice Department had argued that the case was affected by “appearances of impropriety,” but Ho said that prosecutors “followed all appropriate” guidelines and that there was “no evidence — zero — that they had any improper motives.”
He said the timing of the case also did not amount to election interference, as the Justice Department alleged, adding that it was brought nine months before this year’s 2025 mayoral primary.
The time frame was “entirely consistent with prior public corruption prosecutions. All of this suggests that the ‘appearances of impropriety’ rationale is not just thin, but pretextual,” Ho said.
Adams reiterated Wednesday that he is still running for re-election, telling reporters: “And you know what, I’m going to win.”
In the order, Ho rebuked the government's claims that the case affected Adams' ability to assist with immigration enforcement in New York City, calling it "unsubstantial."
Ho said that after the government sought to drop the charges, Adams "took at least one new immigration-related action consistent with the preferences of the new administration."
"Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions," he said.
After Adams was indicted, speculation swirled around the city over whether he would resign, despite his public objections. The speculation and ongoing calls for his resignation appeared to subside until the Trump administration moved to dismiss the corruption charges in February.
The move prompted the resignations of four of his deputy mayors and at least seven federal prosecutors, raising concerns about the stability of the city's embattled government.
Pressure also mounted on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to use a rarely executed power afforded the governor's office to remove the mayor. Hochul ultimately declined, arguing that "the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections" precluded her from doing so.
The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Wednesday's order would change her calculus for initiating removal proceedings.
