Justice Department directs prosecutors to drop federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

The Department of Justice is moving to drop the federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

The memo, which was sent by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who is a former prosecutor in New York himself, instructed the acting United States attorney for the Southern District, Danielle Sassoon, to dismiss the charges “as soon as is practicable”— subject to several conditions, including a review by the Southern District after the November 2025 mayoral election.

The Justice Department last year brought public corruption charges against Adams, a Democrat, in the first prosecution of a sitting mayor...