Justice Department directs prosecutors to drop federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

The Department of Justice is moving to drop the federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

The Department of Justice is moving to drop the federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to a memo obtained by CNN. The memo, which was sent by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who is a former prosecutor in New York himself, instructed the acting United States attorney for the Southern District, Danielle Sassoon, to dismiss the charges “as soon as is practicable”— subject to several conditions, including a review by the Southern District after the November 2025 mayoral election. The Justice Department last year brought public corruption charges against Adams, a Democrat, in the first prosecution of a sitting mayor in the city’s modern history. Adams pleaded not guilty, and the case was set to go to trial this spring. In a statement, Alex Spiro, an attorney for Adams who has also represented Trump ally Elon Musk, said in part, “As I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent — and he would prevail. Today he has.” Spiro also told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in response to the news: “He would have been acquitted in 45 minutes.” A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment. A spokesperson for Adams’ administration declined to comment and referred CNN to the mayor’s attorney. The memo cites two reasons for ordering the dismissal: the Justice Department’s opinion that the case has been tainted by publicity and that it is impeding with Adams’ ability to do his job as mayor.