NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case continues for now, judge rules

The corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams will continue, for now. 

A judge on Friday appointed outside attorney Paul Clement to argue before the court over the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to drop the federal charges.

Clement is a former U.S. solicitor general who has argued more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court. Clement, of Clement and Murphy PLLC, is considered a political conservative, and was appointed by the judge as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court.

The court has ordered that legal briefs be submitted by March 7 and, if needed, oral arguments in the case will take place at 2 p.m. March 14. 

The decision came after Judge Dale Ho held a Wednesday hearing for prosecutors, Adams and his attorneys to discuss the requested dismissal. Prosecutors said the case interfered with Adams’ 2025 mayoral campaign and his ability to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The hearing did not include anyone presenting opposition to dropping the case. 

“Normally, courts are aided in their decision-making through our system of adversarial testing, which can be particularly helpful in cases presenting unusual fact patterns or in cases of great public importance,” Judge Ho wrote. 

“The Court notes that it has considered the parties’ views with respect to the appointment of amicus and concludes that an appointment is appropriate here to assist the court’s decision making,” Judge Ho wrote. “That is particularly so in light of the public importance of this case, which calls for careful deliberation.”

The judge also noted that in light of the concerns raised by parties in court Wednesday about Adams’ responsibilities and the burden of the court, the mayor doesn’t have to appear at future proceedings related to this. 

Meanwhile, Adams’ trial, which had been set for April 21, has been taken off the calendar indefinitely. 

“The Court reiterates that it understands the importance of prompt resolution of the pending motion and will endeavor to rule expeditiously after briefing (and, if necessary, oral argument) is complete,” Judge Ho wrote. 

Justice Department’s rationale for dropping the case

Adams was indicted last September on five counts of bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations, including allegations he accepted illegal campaign donations from Turkish businessmen in exchange for political favors. Adams vehemently denied the charges and suggested they were brought as payback for his criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the border and the migrant crisis.

In requesting prosecutors drop the charges, the Department of Justice said the case “has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime” in New York City. 

The DOJ request, however, noted that it “reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.” 

DOJ request leads to numerous resignations

The request to drop the case led to a flurry of resignations, including Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney of the Southern District of New York. In her resignation letter, Sassoon said the Justice Department’s request to drop charges “raises serious concerns,” left her “baffled,” and she thought amounted to an “improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal in the case.”

“It is a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration and other policy matters with dismissal of a criminal indictment. Nor will a court likely find that such an improper exchange is consistent with the public interest,” Sassoon wrote. 

“The idea that there was a quid pro quo is a total lie. We offered nothing and the department asked nothing of us,” Adams’ attorney  Alex Spiro told CBS News. 

Adams faced blowback from within his own administration after Sassoon leveled that accusation. Four deputy mayors resigned after word came down that the DOJ would seek to drop charges. 

That prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul to call a meeting with various key leaders to discuss whether Adams should remain in office or whether she should use her power to remove him – something that has never been done in New York’s 235-year history.

Hochul ultimately decided to impose what she called “guardrails” on Adams. She announced three actions aimed at limiting Adams’ power by letting other city officials go around him to challenge Trump administration actions. 

“While there is no legal basis for limiting New Yorkers’ power by limiting the authority of my office, I have told the governor, as we have done in the past, that I am willing to work with her to ensure faith in our government is strong,” Adams said in a statement. 

What is Adams accused of?

In the historic indictment, federal prosecutors alleged the mayor abused his power for nearly a decade, soliciting illegal campaign donations from wealthy foreign businesspeople and corporations, including at least one Turkish government official.

Prosecutors said Adams received undisclosed gifts, including luxury travel arrangements, worth more than $100,000 in exchange for political favors. In one instance, he was accused of pressuring the FDNY to green light approval for a Turkish consulate building in Manhattan, despite safety concerns. 

“I want to be clear, these upgrades and freebies were not part of some frequent flyer or loyalty program available to the general public. As we allege, this was a multi-year scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise,” then-U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District Damian Williams announced when the indictment was unsealed.   

The 57-page indictment alleges the Adams campaign used so-called straw donors to hide the source and the amount of the illicit contributions. By doing so, the campaign also tapped into $10 million from a matching funds program.

Prosecutors say the undisclosed travel dates back to 2016, and they claim the mayor continued to solicit donations as recently as 2023 for his reelection campaign.

“Public office is a privilege. We allege that Mayor Adams abused that privilege and broke the law — laws that are designed to ensure that officials like him serve the people, not the highest bidder, not a foreign bidder, and certainly not a foreign power,” said Williams. “These are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again for years.”  

The district attorney also alleged that once Adams learned of the federal investigation, he and his team engaged in a “clumsy cover-up” and even “created fake paper trails.”

Prosecutors hinted more charges may be forthcoming and said as recently as last month they had uncovered “additional criminal conduct.” Weeks later, sources told CBS News prosecutors were in talks with the DOJ about dropping the case.

Feds also investigating Adams’ inner circle

Adams’ federal indictment followed multiple investigations into his campaign and other officials in his administration.

The flurry of federal activity led to several high-level resignations, including NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, whose home was raided and phones were seized, along with his twin brother, James Caban, who allegedly worked as a fixer for restaurants and nightclubs to smooth things over with law enforcement.

Other departures came from Schools Chancellor David Banks, his wife Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and his brother Deputy Mayor Philip Banks III. Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan also stepped down, and two members of the mayor’s administration were indicted on charges. 

Adams’ longtime advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin pleaded not guilty to bribery, money laundering and conspiracy in a case involving her son and two real estate developers. The mayor’s former liaison for the Muslim community, Mohamed Bahi, was also charged with conspiracy for his role in collecting illegal donations for Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign and has agreed to plead guilty, according to court documents. 

contributed to this report.

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