US justice department tells prosecutors to drop Eric Adams case

The US justice department has told prosecutors to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, instructed federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to drop all charges on Monday.

In a memo, he said the indictment could impact the upcoming mayoral election and it had “restricted” Adams’ ability to address “illegal immigration and violent crime” in the city.

Adams is accused of accepting illegal campaign funds and gifts from Turkish businessmen in exchange for his influence as mayor. He pleaded not guilty to five charges of bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations in September.

“You are directed, as authorised by the Attorney General, to dismiss the pending charges,” Bove’s memo to prosecutors said.

Prosecutors have not indicated whether they intend to drop the case as requested. Any decision to do so will need to be formally submitted to the court and approved by a judge.

The memo adds that the case may be reviewed again after the November 2025 mayoral election, but it says no further “investigate steps” should be taken until then.

It also says prosecutors should “take all steps within your power to cause Mayor Adams’ security clearance to be restored”.

Bove, who recently worked as Trump’s defence lawyer during his criminal trial last year, wrote that the justice department “reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based,” and “in no way calls into question the integrity and efforts” of the prosecutors who brought the case.

The memo followed a reported meeting between Adams’ lawyers and federal prosecutors in New York.

Adams, a Democrat, has recently moved to build a closer relationship with Trump and his administration. He attended the presidential inauguration last month and also flew to Florida for a meeting.

In recent weeks, the 64-year-old mayor has directed city law enforcement to co-operate with federal immigration authorities on fresh New York City raids. Critics say this undermines local sanctuary city laws, which direct city leaders to not co-operate with authorities unless they are aiming to arrest dangerous criminals.

Adams has denied speaking to President Trump about his case.

The justice department memo also alleges Adams was targeted by the department during former President Joe Biden’s time in office. Bove did not provide any evidence for this.

Professor Stephen Gillers, an expert on legal ethics at New York University Law School, told NBC News that Bove’s memo ordering the case to be dropped was “a baseless and offensive slur against the former US attorney and the lawyers who worked on the Adams case”.

The mayor’s lawyer, meanwhile, said it was a victory for his client.

“As I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent – and he would prevail. Today he has,” Alex Spiro said.

The Manhattan US Attorney’s office, which brought the case, is yet to comment.