New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ federal corruption charges were permanently dismissed Wednesday as the court partially sided with the Trump administration’s Justice Department. Judge Dale E. Ho of Federal District Court in Manhattan ordered that Adams’ case be dismissed with prejudice. Back in February, the Justice Department had ordered Manhattan prosecutors to dismiss Adams’ case without prejudice, granting them the possibility to reopen the case later on. Department Attorney General Emil Bove, who led this controversial move, said last month that the case against the mayor was a politically motivated prosecution led by one of former President Joe Biden’s appointees, then-Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. In his Wednesday ruling, Ho denied their request for no prejudice, stating how “everything here smacks of a bargain: Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions.” He added that “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.” Yet Ho was still forced to succumb to the Trump administration’s demands by deciding to throw aside all of Adams’ charges, abruptly ending the highly contentious six-month long case. “Any decision by this Court to deny the Government’s Motion to Dismiss would be futile at best, because DOJ could—and, by all indications, unequivocally would—simply refuse to prosecute the case,” he said. Adams was indicted in September on five counts of conspiracy, bribery, and campaign finance violations, accused of pocketing over $10,000 from people hoping to buy influence with him through travel perks and illegal campaign contributions. Days before Wednesday’s ruling, Adams’ lawyers had already been urging the court to drop his charges so he could submit his mayoral candidate petition before the April 3 deadline. Now, the mayor can campaign for a second term as a free man.
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