Outside Lawyer Advises Judge To Dismiss Mayor Adams' Case

NEW YORK CITY — U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, who was appointed as an independent attorney by a federal judge overseeing Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case, has advised the court to dismiss the indictment with prejudice, according to a court filing on Friday.

Federal judge Dale Ho had appointed Clement to argue against the Justice Department's motion that Adam's case should be dismissed. Clement's arguments were asked to be filed by Friday, Patch previously reported.

Ho had acknowledged he wanted to hear from the independent attorney before making a ruling whether to drop the charges.

In his statement on the case, Clement told the court that "all roads here — including the same separation-of-powers principles that constrain the Court's options — lead to dismissal with prejudice."

Dismissing the case with prejudice would mean that the Department of Justice could not reinstate the indictment — effectively permanently ending the case against Adams.

A follow-up hearing on Clement's findings was previously reported to be scheduled on March 14. It is not known at this time if that will still take place.

Two weeks ago, when appointing an independent attorney, Ho said he made the decision due to "the public importance of his case, which calls for careful deliberation."

In addition, a third party was needed after the DOJ took the same position as Adams' defense team.

Ho has said he would "endeavor to rule expeditiously" after hearing from Clement, the DOJ and Adams' defense team.

Adams faces one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, two counts of solicitation of a contribution from a foreign national and one count of bribery, Patch previously reported.

Adams received benefits and perks from Turkish officials, including free and discounted airline tickets and hotel accommodations, according to an unsealed indictment.

The perks were worth more than $100,000, prosecutors said. Adams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Last week, Adams' defense lawyers asked a federal judge to dismiss his federal corruption case after accusing prosecutors of misconduct, according to court documents.

This is a breaking news story. This post may be updated.