Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.                                                                                                    

District Attorney, New York County

One Hogan Place

New York, NY 10013

 

Dear District Attorney Bragg:

We write to respectfully urge the New York County District Attorney’s Office to open an independent state investigation into the serious allegations set forth in the federal indictment against former Mayor Eric Adams.

Approximately one year ago, the U.S. Department of Justice, acting under the direction of the new administration, filed a motion to dismiss the five-count indictment charging the then-Mayor with bribery, wire fraud, and the solicitation of illegal foreign campaign contributions, including fraud upon the New York City Campaign Finance Program. On April 2, 2025, Judge Dale E. Ho of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the government’s motion and dismissed the indictment with prejudice.

Importantly, the Department of Justice did not argue at any point in the proceedings that the underlying allegations were unsupported by the evidence or that the investigation had been conducted improperly. The decision to seek dismissal was grounded not in doubts about the quality or sufficiency of the government’s case, but rather in the stated position that continued prosecution of the sitting Mayor would interfere with his administration’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement priorities. Acting United States Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who refused to sign the motion to dismiss and subsequently resigned her post, wrote in her resignation letter that the evidence was strong and that the office had been prepared to seek a superseding indictment as the investigation continued to develop. The dismissal therefore reflects a political judgment, one that a number of commentators have characterized as a quid pro quo arrangement, rather than any determination on the merits.

The allegations set forth in the indictment were grave. Former Mayor Adams was charged with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions in exchange for the exercise of his official influence, and with causing fraudulent submissions to be made to the New York City Campaign Finance Board in order to unlawfully obtain public matching funds to which his campaign was not entitled.

These alleged offenses are not merely federal in character. The same or substantially similar conduct is prohibited under New York State Penal Law, New York State Election Law, and the New York City Campaign Finance Act.

It is squarely in the public interest that the conduct alleged in the indictment be fully investigated and, if warranted, adjudicated in a court of law. The individuals involved in the alleged scheme, the evidence gathered, and the course of conduct described should not be permanently shielded from accountability simply because of a politically motivated decision to halt the federal prosecution. Furthermore, alleged attempts to defraud the New York City Public Campaign Finance Program should be pursued and uncovered to ensure the program – a cornerstone of the City’s commitment to honest, fair, and accountable elections – maintains the highest levels of integrity and public trust.

The materials gathered by federal investigators — including evidence obtained by the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB), and other law enforcement agencies — represent a substantial body of evidence regarding public corruption at the highest levels of City government. That evidence should not lie dormant.

Although the U.S. Department of Justice might not be willing to share its investigative files with you, many of the same documents can be obtained from other sources, such as the DOI and from Adams’ attorneys who received them as part of the disclosure process in the criminal proceeding.

We therefore respectfully request that your office open an independent investigation into the matters alleged in the federal indictment, as well as any other potential misconduct or violations of law, including conduct that may have occurred following the termination of the federal investigation.

As an initial step, we urge you to exercise your subpoena authority to obtain the investigative materials already developed by the DOI, the CFB, and any other relevant state or local law enforcement agencies, and to make an independent assessment of whether the evidence warrants the filing of state charges. Your office is, of course, bound by no obligation to defer to the political calculus of the current federal administration, and the laws of the State of New York provide you with ample authority to pursue this matter on independent grounds.

Your office has demonstrated exemplary capability in investigating and prosecuting matters of public corruption and campaign finance fraud. In the past years, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has brought charges against several individuals connected to improper fundraising practices, manipulation of public matching fund claims, and bribery for governmental benefits.[1] A number of those prosecuted were associated with the Adams campaign or with the broader network of conduct that the SDNY was simultaneously investigating.

We recognize that prosecutorial discretion involves careful weighing of resources and priorities. Nevertheless, we submit that few matters demand the attention of a local prosecutor than credible, evidence-based allegations that a sitting mayor accepted foreign bribes and defrauded the City’s own campaign finance program. We respectfully urge you to act.

Very truly yours,

 

 

Grace Rauh, Executive Director

[1] July 7, 2023, D.A. Bragg Announces Indictments In Major Campaign Finance Fraud Scheme https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-indictments-in-major-campaign-finance-fraud-scheme/; September 13 2023, D.A. Bragg, D.O.I. Commiss. Announce Sweeping Bribery, Conspiracy Indictments Against Former DOB Commissioner Eric Ulrich, Multiple Associates  https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-d-o-i-commiss-announce-sweeping-bribery-conspiracy-indictments-against-former-dob-commissioner-eric-ulrich-multiple-associates/; August 21, 2025,  D.A. Bragg: Ingrid Lewis-Martin Newly Indicted For Accepting More Than $75,000 In Bribes In Wide-Ranging Conspiracies https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-ingrid-lewis-martin-newly-indicted-for-accepting-more-than-75000-in-bribes-in-wide-ranging-conspiracies/