A federal court on Wednesday formally dismissed the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, granting the controversial request from the Justice Department that generated a public outcry and spurred the largest mass resignation of senior federal prosecutors in decades.
The order ends the case against Adams, who had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud and other charges following his indictment last year.
The court dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the government could not bring the charges again later — contrary to the Justice Department's request to dismiss the case without prejudice.
"In light of DOJ's rationales, dismissing the case without prejudice would create the unavoidable perception that the Mayor's freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration, and that he might be more beholden to the demands of the federal government than to the wishes of his own constituents," the court wrote.
"Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions," the court added.
The then-acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, refused to follow directive, saying she saw no "good-faith basis" for dismissing the case without prejudice. She resigned instead of abandoning the Adams prosecution.
One other prosecutor in New York and five attorneys tied to the Justice Department's public integrity unit in Washington, D.C., also resigned rather than carrying out the department's order to dismiss without prejudice.