3 weeks ago
US judge dismisses fraud, bribery charges against Gautam Adani
Gautam Adani is a very rich businessman from India who leads a big company called the Adani Group.
The United States government said he gave secret payments, called bribes, to Indian officials to win approval for a huge solar energy project.
In 2024, American prosecutors brought criminal charges against him, his nephew and others.
Adani and his company said the accusations were not true.
Later, the Justice Department, the team that brings federal cases, decided it did not want to continue the case because it said the case was hard to prove and mostly about things that happened in India.
A judge named Nicholas Garaufis agreed to cancel the charges, but he was not happy with how the decision was made and said some parts were 'concerning.'
He also checked whether Adani's promise to invest $10 billion in the United States affected the decision, and he said it did not.
Adani and his nephew paid money to settle separate civil cases.
In the end, Adani will not face a trial in the United States for these charges.
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis on Monday, August 10, granted the Justice Department's motion and dismissed with prejudice the fraud and bribery charges against Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani.
The November 2024 indictment alleged more than $250 million in bribes to Indian officials for solar power contracts and misleading statements to US investors; the Adani Group consistently denied the allegations.
The Justice Department cited prosecutorial discretion, saying the case was primarily foreign and difficult to prove, and DOJ official R. Trent McCotter said the securities charges 'should never have been brought.'
Garaufis called McCotter's handling 'highly unusual' and the irregularities 'concerning,' as he worked largely with defense counsel and seemingly without input from FBI and SEC investigators.
The judge said Adani's $10 billion US investment pledge did not influence the decision; civil settlements included $6 million and $12 million to the SEC and $275 million to the US Treasury, and rulings on five other co-defendants are pending.
- Who
- Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, and his nephew Sagar Adani; US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis; and Justice Department official R. Trent McCotter.
- What
- A US federal judge dismissed with prejudice the fraud and bribery charges against Gautam and Sagar Adani after the Justice Department abandoned the prosecution; the judge has yet to rule on counts against five other co-defendants.
- Where
- US District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
- When
- Monday, August 10, 2026; the indictment was filed in November 2024 and prosecutors announced in May that they would stop pursuing the case.
- Why
- The Justice Department cited prosecutorial discretion, saying the case was primarily foreign, difficult to prove and inconsistent with its current enforcement priorities.
Critics and original prosecutors
Justice Department and Adani Group
Reason for dismissal
Critics and original prosecutors
Two Democratic senators alleged that Adani's reported offer to invest in the US economy if the charges were dropped appeared to be an 'egregious quid pro quo offer,' and Judge Garaufis wrote that it is 'up to the public to decide' what effect such offers have on the fair application of the law.
Justice Department and Adani Group
The Justice Department cited prosecutorial discretion, saying the case was primarily foreign, difficult to prove and inconsistent with its current enforcement priorities; McCotter denied that the investment offer played any role, and Adani swore in a declaration that there was no agreement linking it to the dismissal.
How the case was dropped
Critics and original prosecutors
Garaufis called McCotter's decision-making 'highly unusual' and the irregularities 'concerning,' noting that he worked largely with defense counsel and seemingly without input from the FBI and SEC investigators and the prosecutors who built the case.
Justice Department and Adani Group
McCotter said he dropped the charges after meeting with Adani's lawyers and other Justice Department officials and conducting his own research and analysis, and the DOJ argued that 'the decision to seek dismissal was not a close call.'
Merits and political context of the indictment
Critics and original prosecutors
Garaufis rejected or found insufficient several Justice Department justifications, including that the alleged conduct was almost entirely Indian, and said there was not 'a scintilla of evidence' that the outgoing Biden administration dumped a weak case on its successor; he called McCotter's 'baseless assertion' 'unbecoming of his office.'
Justice Department and Adani Group
The Justice Department said the indictment had little realistic prospect of going to trial, that the securities charges 'should never have been brought,' and that the case appeared to be a politically motivated 'name and shame' exercise by the outgoing administration.
Key facts
- Defendants
- Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani (charges dismissed with prejudice); Vneet Jaain also covered by the dismissal
- Court
- US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Brooklyn
- Judge
- Nicholas Garaufis
- Charges dismissed
- Conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud
- Allegation
- Over $250 million in bribes to Indian officials for solar power contracts
- Solar project
- Adani Green Energy, around 12 gigawatts of solar power to the Indian government
- US investment pledge
- $10 billion and up to 15,000 jobs (found not to have influenced the dismissal)
- Civil settlements
- $6 million (Gautam Adani) and $12 million (Sagar Adani) to the SEC; $275 million (Adani Enterprises) to the US Treasury
Quotes
Brooklyn-based US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis
Judge overseeing the case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
“"The fact that McCotter came to this decision [to drop the charges] largely in collaboration with defense counsel, and seemingly without input from the FBI and SEC agents who investigated the alleged misconduct, or prosecutors who brought the case, appears to be highly unusual."”
scroll.in
scroll.in
“The irregularities in the decision to dismiss the indictment are concerning. McCotter appears to have eschewed the professional opinions of innumerable officials from various federal offices and replaced them with his singular judgment.”
indianexpress.com
financialexpress.com
Gautam Adani
Indian billionaire and head of the Adani Group
“"I welcome the US court’s decision with humility and deep respect for the judicial process. We will continue doing what matters: building for our nation, creating value that outlasts us and serving a purpose larger than ourselves."”
scroll.in
theprint.in
indianexpress.com
scroll.in
“I welcome the U.S. court’s decision with humility and deep respect for the judicial process. Throughout this challenging period, our faith in truth, fairness and the rule of law remained unwavering.”
freepressjournal.in
financialexpress.com
NDTV
Sources
US judge dismisses criminal charges against Gautam Adani
Gautam Adani gets major legal relief in US: Judge dismisses fraud, bribery charges after Justice Department drops case
'Faith In Truth, Fairness Remained Unwavering': Gautam Adani Welcomes US Court’s Dismissal Of Criminal Charges
US court dismisses fraud charges against Gautam Adani
US judge drops criminal charges against billionaire Gautam Adani
US Judge drops criminal charges against Gautam Adani – Adani Group stocks in focus today
US judge dismisses criminal charges against Gautam Adani
US Court Dismisses Criminal Charges Against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani
Related news
Gautam Adani Welcomes US Court Decision To Dismiss Criminal Charges
US Court Dismisses Criminal Case Against Gautam Adani, Nephew
US Court Dismisses Criminal Charges Against Gautam Adani
Adani Stocks Rise After US Court Dismisses Fraud Charges
US Judge Dismisses Fraud Charges Against Adani Group Chairman
Gautam Adani Thanks Supporters After US Court Dismisses Charges
SEBI Rejects Settlement Bids From Overseas Adani-Linked Funds
Karan Adani Says Keep Building Was His Father’s Answer
Adani Enterprises Races 34% Higher on Legal Relief, Big Investors
Adani Breaks Silence: 'Trust Is Greater Than Any Legal Right'
