A federal judge has dismissed the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams with prejudice, a decision that ensures the charges cannot be refiled in the future.
This ruling came in response to a Department of Justice (DOJ) request to dismiss the case, leading to speculation of a bargain being made.
Driving the news: The dismissal of the charges against Mayor Adams followed a request from the Trump administration’s DOJ, which had asked for the case to be dropped without prejudice, leaving open the possibility of future charges. However, the federal judge’s decision to dismiss the case with prejudice put an end to any chance of refiling.
- Mayor Eric Adams was facing charges of bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
- The indictment alleged that Adams solicited bribes from wealthy foreign businesspeople and a Turkish government official over several years, including during his mayoral campaign and while in office.
- Despite maintaining his innocence and claiming the charges were politically motivated, Adams faced scrutiny for his alleged ties to Trump and accusations that the former president might pardon him or influence the DOJ to drop the charges.
Go deeper: The DOJ argued that the case against Adams was tainted and interfered with his ability to govern effectively and address issues like crime and illegal immigration.
- However, Judge Ho found no evidence to support these claims and noted that the prosecutors had followed all guidelines.
- The former acting US attorney who resigned during the case, Danielle Sassoon, alleged that a quid pro quo was at play and accused Adams’s attorneys of pushing for a favorable outcome. Adams denied these allegations.
