Mayor Eric Adams‘ pricey criminal defense attorney, Alex Spiro, boldly claimed on Wednesday that the book is now closed on Hizzoner’s corruption case after President Trump’s Justice Department directed Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop the charges.
Spiro made the claim during a Wednesday morning news conference at his Manhattan offices even though the DOJ’s request came with an important caveat that could impact the mayor’s future: The DOJ directed the Southern District of New York to drop the case “without prejudice” — giving it the ability to bring the matter back at any time.
That condition has sparked outcries from many elected officials and politicos who are concerned that Adams will now be completely beholden to Trump, considering his fate is in the Republican president’s hands.
The DOJ’s Feb. 10 memo, written by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, also said the case will be reviewed once again by the Manhattan US Attorney’s office in November, after the mayoral general election.
Nonetheless, Spiro proclaimed on Feb. 12 that “the first of its kind airline upgrade corruption case is now over” — referring to allegations that Adams accepted luxury travel perks, like free flight upgrades, in exchange for political favors.
Federal prosecutors also accused Adams of soliciting and accepting illegal campaign donations from Turkish nationals, and he was charged with that crime, bribery, and wire fraud in September.
But when reporters pressed Spiro on the reality that the case could be resurrected, he slightly changed his tune — saying he “expects” the case to be permanently dismissed in November.
“When you review a case and re-review a case that shouldn’t have been brought in the first place, it’s not a crime, there’s no evidence of guilt, I expect it not to be brought again,” he said.
The Manhattan US Attorney’s office has not yet commented on or responded to the DOJ’s memo, and Spiro said he has not spoken to the office either.
‘Evidence didn’t add up’: Spiro
Spiro insisted that the DOJ moved to drop the charges after it conducted a reevaluation of the case and realized the “evidence didn’t add up.” He made this claim despite Bove specifically saying the facts of Adams’ case have nothing to do with the DOJ’s request to drop the charges.
Furthermore, Spiro argued that former Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams drummed up the charges either as political retribution against Adams on behalf of former President Biden or to raise his own profile.
“This was no search for truth,” Spiro charged. “They were after him, and they figured out a way to invent a crime. Was it a big career case, a way to update someone’s LinkedIn profile? Were they trying to impress Washington because of the mayor’s fallout, or was it some other personal agenda at work?”
Spiro said Williams’ September press conference, at which he unsealed Adams’ indictment, amounted to a “stump speech.” He argued that the presentation exemplified Williams’ desire to make a name for himself by prosecuting Adams.
Bove’s memo echoed Spiro’s central argument that the case was motivated by Williams’ career aspirations and former President Biden’s alleged desire to punish Adams for criticizing his handling of immigration.
Adams has repeatedly made the latter point without offering any clear evidence to support his argument — and in spite of the investigation starting before he took office in January 2022.
It also cited the proximity of Adams’ indictment to the 2025 mayoral primary and its potential impediment to his ability to comply with Trump’s mass deportation efforts as reasons to drop the case.
Yet, Spiro denied that Adams’ charges being dropped are predicated on his cooperation with Trump’s immigration agenda.
“Of course not, that’s absurd,” Spiro said of the notion.
The memo was released after months of the mayor working to curry favor with Trump in what many suspected was a campaign to get his charges dismissed. Adams especially raised eyebrows when he took a private meeting with Trump in Florida and attended the president’s inauguration last month.
