Top US prosecutor accepts Adani case drop

Brooklyn’s top federal prosecutor said he will not contest the Justice Department’s move to drop the criminal case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, a development that leaves a $265 million alleged bribery scheme unresolved.

Prosecutor’s letter clarifies role

In a Friday letter to U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. stated he is “not the decisionmaker” behind the dismissal and has no reason to doubt the justification offered by his supervisor, principal associate deputy attorney general Trent McCotter. The judge had asked him whether he agreed with his rationale or saw any other basis for dropping the case.

He noted that he attended several meetings on the matter but affirmed that the decision to dismiss the indictment rested with McCotter. The attorney’s office did not immediately return requests for comment, and the billionaire’s legal team likewise declined to speak.

Justice Department’s stated reasons

McCotter’s July 4 letter outlined why the case should be dismissed.

He argued that the alleged wrongdoing and key figures were based in India, making the matter “foreign” and suggesting the United States should not act as “the world police.” He also warned that continuing the prosecution could create a “potential quagmire” for future administrations.

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According to the filing, the Department believed that the case’s foreign focus and the risk of a protracted legal battle justified the dismissal.

Adani Group faces separate legal pressures.

The company has repeatedly denied any misconduct. Its affiliate Adani Enterprises settled a Treasury Department investigation by paying $275 million, and Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani agreed to pay $18 million to resolve a Securities and Exchange Commission civil case.

In a sworn affidavit, Gautam Adani made an offer.

He offered a $10 billion investment in the United States to resolve both the criminal and SEC matters. His lawyer, Robert Giuffra—co‑chair of Sullivan & Cromwell and former personal attorney to Donald Trump—suggested the investment could be part of a settlement if the DOJ or SEC desired it.

The supervisor later clarified that the dismissal occurred before any discussion of this investment, making clear that the decision was not tied to potential financial arrangements.

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Nocella’s email rejected the settlement link.

However, his May 11 email, later made public, “categorically rejected” linking any settlement to the proposed investment, emphasizing that the SEC case was a separate issue. He later confirmed that the motion to dismiss the criminal case was filed at his supervisor’s direction.

Judges have previously expressed concern over high‑profile dismissals.

During the Trump administration, the presiding judge in the Eric Adams corruption case remarked that the resolution “smacks of a bargain,” while another judge voiced “significant misgivings” about the SEC settlement with Elon Musk.

The final motion, signed by the prosecutor on May 18, effectively ends the criminal prosecution.