What's Going On With Charges Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams?
People can undergo incredible transformations when their backs are against the wall. In 2020, then Bronx Borough President Eric Adams called President Donald Trump a "white supremacist" on Twitter and had previously referred to him as an "idiot" during a 2018 MLK celebration.
In 2025, however, Adams, now the Mayor of New York, skipped the annual MLK tribute to attend Trump's inauguration for his second term as President of the United States. He also promised to not criticize Trump despite disagreements over New York City's handling of immigration.
On February 10, 2025, the newly headed Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo calling for the dropping of federal bribery and corruption charges against Adams. Given the strength of the allegations against Adams, the timing was considered by some to be rather suspicious.
DOJ Officials Resign
Speculation flared among Adams' mayoral opponents that the move smacked of quid pro quo. In an unexpected turn of events, Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who had been ordered by Emil Bove III, the number 2 official in the DOJ, to get the charges dismissed, resigned on February 13 rather than do so.
DOJ officials then tried to transfer the case to the public integrity section that oversees corruption in Washington, but at least five members of that unit have also resigned in protest. While the DOJ has called for the case to be dismissed without prejudice, it requires an Assistant United States Attorney to get a judge to do so. To dismiss a case without prejudice means that it can be brought again, raising the prospect that Adams would be beholden to the Trump administration to avoid being criminally charged again.
Turkish Delight on a Moonlit Night
The federal indictment unsealed on September 26, 2024, leveled a sizable number of accusations at Adams. It accused him of over ten years of using his high-ranking positions in the New York City government to accept luxury travel arrangements and illegal campaign contributions.
Adams was also charged with using illegal "straw" donations to abuse a New York City fund-matching program for over $10 million in public funds.
The indictment alleged that Adams repaid a Turkish official for their donations and free travel by pressuring the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to open the new Turkish consular building without a fire inspection. The 36-story building would not have passed a fire inspection at that time but the FDNY official in charge said he was told he'd be fired if he didn't allow the building to open.
Adams faced a multitude of charges that included: conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery; wire fraud; soliciting and accepting a bribe; and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Adams stated that he was not guilty of all the charges against him.
Judged at the Ballot Box
Despite low approval ratings and the miasma of the federal charges heading toward dismissal hanging overhead, Adams has indicated that he fully intends to run for re-election as mayor of New York City. His new coziness with Trump isn't likely to sit well with the Democratic base that traditionally holds the majority in NYC elections.
Adams will also have to keep in mind that prosecutors in New York State are not beholden to the federal government. There's precedent for them stepping in with charges of their own when the facts indicate guilt. Adams' legal journey may only be pausing for now.
Related Resources
- U.S. Federal Campaign Finance Laws (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- Bribery (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- Election Law, Government Ethics, and Lobbying (FindLaw's Law Library)
