Federal Prosecutor Resigns in Defiance of Justice Department’s Order to Drop Corruption Case Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams
On Thursday, a dramatic turn of events unfolded within the U.S. Department of Justice, as 38-year-old federal prosecutor Anna Sassoon resigned from her role as interim head of the Southern District of New York after refusing to comply with an order to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Sassoon’s resignation letter, which quickly became public, offered an unprecedented peek behind the curtain of power, revealing the inner workings of the Justice Department’s decision-making process and raising serious questions about political influence on legal proceedings.
Sassoon, who had served just three weeks in the interim role, took the rare step of resigning after expressing her firm belief that there was no legal justification for dismissing the case. The Justice Department had ordered the case to be dropped, but Sassoon, a seasoned federal prosecutor, refused to comply. In her letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, she stated that the dismissal lacked any legal basis and accused the Justice Department of bowing to improper political pressure.
At the center of the case is New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is facing a five-count federal indictment. The charges include wire fraud, bribery, and receiving illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, particularly from Turkish nationals and officials. The indictment alleges that Adams, over nearly a decade, sought and accepted valuable benefits, including luxury international travel, from wealthy foreign businessmen and at least one Turkish government official. These actions were purportedly aimed at gaining influence over the mayor’s political decisions, particularly in relation to Turkey’s interests.
The indictment details how the mayor’s campaign allegedly received tens of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions from Turkish nationals, which were concealed to defraud New York City’s matching public campaign fund program. According to the indictment, a Turkish entrepreneur even instructed an Adams staffer on how to disguise these contributions by funneling money through a third party in the U.S.
As the investigation deepened, the indictment revealed that Adams’ Turkish backers sought to leverage their support by influencing policies beneficial to Turkey. This included an alleged promise to remain silent about Turkey’s genocide of Armenians, as well as efforts to help facilitate the construction of a Turkish consular building in New York City, which reportedly opened without a fire inspection despite warnings about its safety. The indictment further alleges that Adams pressured the New York City Fire Department to clear the building for occupancy, despite more than 60 safety defects. The timing of the building’s approval, which coincided with a visit from Turkey’s president, raises serious questions about the mayor’s involvement in quid-pro-quo arrangements.
Sassoon’s resignation came after the Justice Department, led by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, ordered that the case against Adams be dropped. In her resignation letter, Sassoon described the order as politically motivated and stated, “Because the law does not support a dismissal, and because I am confident that Adams has committed the crimes with which he is charged, I cannot agree to seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations.”
Sassoon’s bold stance drew immediate attention. She also raised concerns about a potential quid-pro-quo between the Justice Department and Adams’ legal team. Sassoon was not alone in her opposition to the dismissal. Other members of the Justice Department’s criminal and public integrity unit, including interim leaders Kevin Driscoll and John Keller, as well as prosecutor Hagan Scotten, resigned in solidarity. Scotten, in his own resignation letter, expressed full agreement with Sassoon’s decision to refuse to abandon the case.
