The Department of Justice has ordered the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be dismissed, a department official told NBC News.
Acting Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York to dismiss all charges against the mayor, according to a DOJ official.
The dismissal is without prejudice. The DOJ official added that the charges would be reviewed when a U.S. Attorney appointed by President Donald Trump is confirmed.
The order does not necessarily mean that the case has been dismissed, however. A dismissal would have to come in the form of a motion, which would be reviewed by a judge, according to NBC News. It is possible that prosecutors with the Southern District of New York could refuse to carry out the order.
The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The news of the DOJ order came nearly two weeks after NBC New York reported one of Adams' attorneys had reached out to the DOJ seeking to have the case against the mayor dropped. Adams met with the then-president-elect at his Florida state just before inauguration.
That plea from Adams attorney Alex Spiro was first reported by the New York Times, which noted it is not unusual nor particularly surprising that a high-profile defendant such as Adams, with equally high-profile counsel, would reach out to a new administration's DOJ to ask for a fresh look at their case.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment on the plea from Adams' attorney.
Spiro is one of a fleet of lawyers that represent Elon Musk, who has maintained a close relationship with President Donald Trump since his election campaign over the summer.
Adams visited President Trump in Florida on Jan. 17, and was offered a last-minute invitation to the inauguration in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The mayor has brushed off questions that his criminal case — or the possibility of a presidential pardon if he is convicted — came up during the sit-down near Trump's estate, saying the case is something his legal team is handling.
Adams was scheduled to go on trial in April on charges that he accepted luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for political favors, including helping the Turkish officials resolve city approvals for a diplomatic building in Manhattan.
Mayor Eric Adams is scaling back events, saying it's because of health reasons. However, the mayor's office insisted that city business will continue as usual for the week. NBC New York's Andrew Siff reports.
The mayor has been on temporary sick leave since Monday for what his office has called routine medical tests, saying Adams was not "feeling his best." There had been rumors since Tuesday that he was about to plead guilty or even resign, but Spiro said Wednesday "sorry, he's not resigning," and added the mayor has nothing to plead guilty for.
"He's innocent, as I've said since the beginning," said Spiro outside court after a brief, closed-door hearing.
Adams did not attend the hearing.
Ryan Reilly of NBC News contributed to this report.
