Mayor Eric Adams might have dodged a authorized bullet when the Trump Justice Division introduced plans to pause his felony prosecution. However the determination in Washington, D.C., doesn’t block native NYC district attorneys from searching for their very own corruption expenses, in the event that they so wished.
“I think there are theories a local prosecutor could clearly pursue based on what is in the public record,” mentioned Daniel Horwitz, a former Manhattan prosecutor who now focuses on white collar protection and authorities/regulatory investigations. “I think that any prosecutor, any serious prosecutor worth their salt, is going to give this matter a serious look.”
Horwitz identified the Manhattan district legal professional’s workplace has already obtained an unrelated bribery indictment in opposition to Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a former prime aide to Mayor Adams who has denied wrongdoing.
“Clearly the Manhattan district attorney’s office is actively involved in their own investigations of the Adams Administration,” Horwitz mentioned. So for that motive alone, in fact the Manhattan DA’s workplace is watching this case.”
Representatives for Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg and Brooklyn District Legal professional Eric Gonzalez each declined remark when the I-Group requested if they’d take into account searching for state expenses in opposition to Mayor Adams, based mostly on the federal indictment which was ordered dismissed.
The thought of modeling a state felony case on a federal one wouldn’t be unprecedented.
In 2024, Bragg obtained a conviction within the hush cash trial of Donald Trump, after federal prosecutors within the Southern District of New York declined to pursue that very case. A lot of the proof in that trial was already baked into the case in opposition to Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, who pleaded responsible to federal marketing campaign finance crimes.
New York Metropolis prosecutors would even have a built-in benefit when attempting to duplicate components of the federal case in opposition to Mayor Adams. That’s as a result of the NYC Division Investigation partnered with the FBI and U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace in acquiring the unique federal indictment in opposition to the mayor. When the fees have been unsealed in September, DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber advised her group had entry to key proof the Adams violated not solely federal corruption legal guidelines, however native legal guidelines too.
“Our unique access to city records and expertise in matters of city government make us a critical partner in the fight to root out corruption,” Strauber mentioned on the time. “This kind of corruption has real costs to the city and to the public.”
In his first feedback for the reason that DOJ moved to halt the corruption case in opposition to him, Mayor Adams vowed to regain New Yorkers’ belief and guaranteed them he would by no means commerce his energy for private achieve. However the backlash he is dealing with has been powerful and swift, because the query turns into whether or not voters see the association as extra corrupt than his preliminary expenses of bribery and marketing campaign fraud. NBC New York’s Melissa Russo and Andrew Siff report.
Shira Scheindlin, a retired federal decide who as soon as served as normal counsel to the DOI, mentioned metropolis investigators there might theoretically generate a felony case in opposition to Adams that will exist past the attain of the DOJ.
“The City Department of Investigation certainly can meet with the Manhattan DA and work with the Manhattan DA. That’s a city agency,” Scheindlin mentioned.
A consultant for DOI Commissioner Strauber declined remark when requested in regards to the prospects of reviving the case in opposition to Mayor Adams on an area stage.
Even with the assistance of DOI, constructing an area case in opposition to Mayor Adams would, little doubt, have distinctive challenges.
For one, the Division of Justice memo requires dismissing the case in opposition to Adams “without prejudice,” that means the federal expenses may very well be introduced at a later date. Due to that, a lot of the important thing proof backing these expenses – like cellphone data and witness statements – would not going be shared freely with native prosecutors.
A regulation enforcement supply with information of the matter advised the I-Group it will be exceedingly troublesome to show state bribery or marketing campaign finance crimes with out entry to that federal proof.
Moreover, people who may need been inclined to cooperate with prosecutors might not decide to do this.
Final month, Turkish businessman Erden Arkan pleaded responsible to committing marketing campaign crimes which benefited Adams when he was a candidate for mayor. It’s not clear if Arkan ever supposed to cooperate with federal prosecutors, however now that he has taken a federal plea deal, state prosecutors could also be unable to cost him due to double jeopardy protections.
New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams addressed New Yorkers on Tuesday after the Division of Justice introduced its intention to drop the corruption case in opposition to him.
Adams has repeatedly denied he sought unlawful contributions or journey perks in return for official favors. He didn’t take questions from reporters on Tuesday, however urged his critics to “put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of this city.”
Jeremy Saland, a white collar and felony protection legal professional who used to function a Manhattan prosecutor, mentioned native investigators might construct their very own case in opposition to Adams from scratch – basically retracing the steps of FBI public corruption investigators and even re-interviewing key individuals within the Adams inside circle.
“If people have been identified and we know who they are — we meaning law enforcement — we can potentially ask those same questions and pursue those same people,” Saland mentioned.
He added {that a} determination to dismiss the federal indictment with out consideration of the underlying deserves of the case would elevate severe questions on whether or not political concerns have overshadowed sound prosecutorial judgement.
“There are such a lot of competing components and so many issues you must think about, however when you fail as a prosecutor to look at this case holistically, you then’re failing justice,” mentioned Saland.
