DOJ to Drop Adani Fraud Charges After $10 B Offer
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- U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to drop charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani after he hired a Trump‑affiliated lawyer.
- Todd Blanche, a former Trump attorney, now heads the DOJ and is overseeing the case’s termination.
- Robert Giuffra Jr., leading Adani’s legal team, met with DOJ officials at its Washington headquarters and offered a $10 billion investment and 15,000 U.S. jobs in exchange for dropping the charges.
- Bloomberg reported the DOJ could announce the dismissal “as soon as this week,” while the SEC is also moving to settle a parallel civil fraud case filed in November 2024.
- Forbes estimates Adani’s net worth at at least $82 billion and the DOJ alleges he bribed Indian officials and lied to U.S. investors.
- Jeremy Horpedahl of the University of Arkansas said the case demonstrates that hiring Trump’s personal lawyer and bribery can avoid fraud charges under the Trump‑led DOJ.
- Manish Sharma, leader of the Indian Youth Congress, suggested on X that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have helped secure the charge‑dropping, linking it to a recent trade deal with Trump.
Why it matters: Adani gains a massive legal reprieve and a promised $10 billion infusion into the U.S. economy, while the DOJ’s reversal, highlighted by critics as a quid‑pro‑quo, raises concerns about political influence over federal prosecutions and may affect the credibility of future fraud enforcement.
