Danielle Sassoon, one of the top federal prosecutors in Manhattan, has resigned after refusing to drop the corruption case against New York City mayor Eric Adams, despite an order from the Trump administration, reports CNN.
Sassoon was the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York and accused the Justice department of making a politically motivated decision.
In her resignation letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, she claimed Adams’ lawyers “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo”—offering cooperation with Trump’s immigration policies in exchange for the case being dismissed.
Rising star in justice department
A Harvard graduate, Sassoon later attended Yale Law School, completing her degree in 2011. She clerked for federal appellate judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III and the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia before moving into private practice. She also taught at New York University Law School and contributed to The Federalist Society, a conservative legal group.
Sassoon joined the Southern District of New York in 2016 as an assistant US attorney, quickly earning a reputation for handling high-profile cases. She worked on organised crime, securities fraud, and later became co-chief of the criminal appeals unit.
Last month, she was promoted to acting US attorney, overseeing all federal cases in the Southern District of New York.
Case that sparked her resignation
Sassoon’s resignation comes after a controversial decision by the Justice department to drop corruption charges against NYC mayor Eric Adams. The case, originally brought last year under the Biden administration, accused Adams of accepting over $100,000 in gifts from Turkish nationals in exchange for favours. Adams denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a Trump appointee, ordered Sassoon to drop the case, claiming it hindered the mayor’s ability to address illegal immigration and violent crime. Bove stated that while the charges could be reinstated after the New York mayoral election, pursuing them now was not in line with the administration’s priorities.
Sassoon refused, stating in her letter to Bondi: “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.”
She claimed that in a meeting last month with Adams’ lawyers and Justice department officials, the mayor’s team suggested he could support Trump’s immigration policies if the charges were dropped. Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, denied it, calling the claim “a total lie.”
Career of high-profile cases
Sassoon played a major role in several high-profile prosecutions. In 2022, she led the case against Lawrence Ray, a man who manipulated and exploited college students at Sarah Lawrence College. Ray was convicted of sex trafficking, forced labour, tax evasion, and money laundering and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
She also led the cross-examination of Sam Bankman-Fried in his 2023 fraud trial. The founder of FTX was convicted of defrauding customers and investors and sentenced to 25 years.