On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, a federal judge dismissed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case. The judge agreed it was the only reasonable outcome and denied prosecutors the option to refile in the future. Judge Dale E. Ho dismissed the case “with prejudice”, meaning it is permanently dismissed and cannot be brought forth again. The Justice Department offered the alternative “without prejudice”, but the judge rejected it.
In Judge Ho’s ruling he wrote, “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.” He concluded, “That appearance is inevitable, and it counsels in favor of dismissal with prejudice.”
Corruption Case
Mayor Eric Adams was accused of accepting illegal contributions and travel discounts from Turkish officials to fund his campaign. He was indicted in 2024 and charged with bribery, conspiracy, and wire fraud. In return for allegedly accepting those bribes, he helped Turkey open a diplomatic building without requiring any inspections.
The case against Mayor Eric Adams was brought forth during Biden’s administration, and he was expected to begin trial this month. However, Trump’s Justice Department pushed to drop it altogether. Judge Ho pushed the trial back until deciding what to do. Ultimately, the case was dropped months before a Democratic primary expected to lead to New York’s next mayor.
Judge Ho suggested this decision was the proper one as he found Trump’s Justice Department’s rationale for throwing out the case “troubling.” In short, the DOJ wanted to get it dismissed so they could have Mayor Eric Adams assist in their goal to eradicate immigration. If they got the case thrown out, essentially Adams would ‘owe’ a favor. Ho may have disagreed with the DOJ’s reasoning, but he felt his options were limited.
Upcoming Primary
In 2021, Mayor Eric Adams was elected as a centrist Democrat, meaning he leans both ways on the political scale. But he holds power in a left-leaning state and region. He is a retired police captain, former state lawmaker, and Brooklyn official, so he has strong ties to the community he governs. However, since he was indicted, Mayor Eric Adams has developed a closer relationship with President Trump, expecting mayoral staffers to avoid publicly criticizing the president.
Mayor Eric Adams is running against several Democrats, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who all agree that Adams is no longer capable of prioritizing the citizens of New York. They claim he is too indebted to Trump and needs to go. When asked about his chances for reelection, Adams says, “I’m gonna win,” without any hesitation.
Corruption is Everywhere
The United States is turning into a corrupt nation. There were already sprinkles here and there, but with the new administration, it is intensifying fast. Mayor Eric Adams was expected to head into trial for corrupt matters, so from the perspective of Trump’s DOJ, the only way to get him out of it was through further corruption. Federal Judge Dale E. Ho made a decent decision, a questionable one, but he did not have much of a leg to stand on.
