NEW YORK – Federal agents investigating Mayor Eric Adams, who are investigating Mayor Eric Adams, were still applying for a search warrant just days before Justice Department leaders ordered prosecutors to withdraw the corruption case, according to documents released Friday.
A pile of sealed court records opens windows in criminal cases, indicating Manhattan investigators are moving forward, even if Washington officials are away from the prosecutors.
The document also confirms something that the prosecutor has previously revealed. A federal investigation into whether Adams made an inappropriate campaign contribution began when Democrats still had an old job as Brooklyn President, but were widely expected to win the mayoral race that fall.
Adams has repeatedly said he believes he was indicted because he criticized former President Joe Biden’s immigration policy as mayor.
The investigation was first made public in November 2023 when FBI agents seized Adams’ mobile phone and iPad while leaving the event in Manhattan. He was charged ten months later with accepting free travel and illegal campaign contributions from people seeking to buy his influence, including Turkish diplomats.
But on February 10 after President Donald Trump took office, a new Justice Department leader ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop the charges, claiming the case hampered the mayor’s ability to help the Republican administration crack down on immigrants.
The extraordinary order has shaken the offices of federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Washington. Rather than enforce the order, several prosecutors have resigned, including top Manhattan federal prosecutor Daniel Sasson. The judge ultimately said that he had no choice but to dismiss the case at the request of a senior Justice Department official.
Prosecutors say that since he was digging up Adams a few weeks before the case ceased, Sasson is on the verge of bringing additional charges against him for obstructing justice.
On February 7, the judge registered an application searching for phone calls handed over by the unidentified subject of the investigation in response to the subpoena. A few weeks ago, the judge had signed a warrant searching his home in Middletown, New York, in connection with an investigation into alleged straw donation in Adams’ campaign in 2020. At the same time, the prosecutor requested a warrant to access cell phone location data in the investigation. On December 4th, the judge approved a request by federal agents to search the Queens home.
Search and trauma
US District Judge Dale E. Ho ordered an unsealed record in response to requests from the New York Times and subsequent New York Post. The Times argued in court documents that there was a “particularly persuasive” case in which they made public because there was no trial. Neither Adams’ attorney nor the prosecutor opposed the request.
The document provides a behind-the-scenes look at how investigators pieced their cases together through searches for electronics and physical locations in New York and beyond.
The unsealed document also revealed in May 2024 that a Magistrate Judge searching the home of a New Jersey condo home, the city’s longtime romantic partner, approved a warrant searching the home of Tracy Collins, a senior city’s Department of Education official.
The warrant application doesn’t directly name Collins, but he identifies her as Adams’ partner and says the mayor may also use the house. The agents looked into whether officials connected to the Turkish consulate would help their children admit to hospital in a very popular public middle school, so they wanted to do a search to access five iPhones.
It also includes a September 2024 application for a warrant searching for Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official home for Manhattan, providing photos of the building from multiple angles.
The affidavit from an FBI agent points out that location data on one of Adams’ mobile phones suggests he will spend “overnight hours” at the residence on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Adams meets Trump
When asked to comment on the new document, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, criticized the prosecutor at the moment.
“This case – the first upgrade “corruption” case of this type of airline – has never been brought in in the first place and should not be over now,” Spiro said.
Adams has touted the case as proof, but denied that he cut his deal with Trump in exchange for tolerance. However, he maintains a warm relationship with the president after his case was dismissed. The two leaders met in Washington on Friday, and Trump later told reporters, “I think he actually came to thank me.”
The Adams office issued a statement saying it had discussed critical infrastructure projects and the preservation of critical social services.
Despite the criminal charges behind him, Adams faces an uncertain political future. He recently announced that he skipped the Democratic primary in June and would instead run as an independent in the November general election.
