Judge dismisses charges against billionaire Adani, but sharply criticizes DOJ
A federal judge dismissed fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani at the DOJ's request. But in an unusual twist, he refused to dismiss charges against some co-defendants and criticized the DOJ's handling of the case.
Updated on: August 10, 2026 / 6:35 PM EDT / CBS News
But in an unusual twist, U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis for the Eastern District of New York refused to dismiss two of the counts against five other co-defendants, saying the Justice Department had failed to provide him with a sufficient reason for doing so.
In a scathing 47-page ruling , Garaufis took aim at Trent McCotter, the principal associate deputy attorney general, who he said bears sole responsibility for trying to dismiss the case.
"The irregularities in the decision to dismiss the indictment are concerning," Garaufis wrote.
"On the current record, McCotter appears to have eschewed the professional opinions of innumerable officials from various federal offices and replaced them with his singular judgment. The fact that McCotter came to this decision largely in collaboration with defense counsel, and seemingly without input from the FBI and SEC agents who investigated the alleged misconduct, or the attorneys from the Department, SEC, and U.S. Attorney's Office who brought the case, appears to be highly unusual."