Gautam Adani, Nephew Sagar Adani Cleared as US Justice Department Permanently Drops All Criminal Charges in Securities Fraud Case
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has permanently dropped all criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, bringing a high-profile securities and wire fraud case to an abrupt end.
New York, May 18: In yet another significant development, the US Department of Justice has permanently dropped all criminal charges against Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, in an alleged securities and wire fraud case. In a filing before the Eastern District of New York, the US Department of Justice requested dismissal of the indictment against Adani.
"The Department of Justice has reviewed this case and has decided, in its prosecutorial discretion, not to devote further resources to these criminal charges against individual defendants," the Justice Department said. The court then ordered that the indictment against Adani and others "be dismissed with prejudice”. Gautam Adani Agrees To Pay USD 6 Million To Settle US SEC Fraud Case, Rahul Gandhi Targets PM Narendra Modi Over ‘Adani Release Deal’.
The counsel for Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani had stated in court that there was no credible evidence supporting the alleged bribery scheme. They pointed out that the SEC lacked necessary jurisdiction over the two men and that the alleged misstatements underpinning the case weren't actionable.
The Adani Group had denied all allegations, stating that none of its entities or executives has been charged under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and that Adani Green Energy - the renewable energy arm that raised the funds - is not a party to the proceedings. US To Drop Criminal Case Against Gautam Adani: Justice Department Set To Withdraw USD 265 Million Bribery and Fraud Charges, Says Report.
With this development, several US regulatory and legal investigations involving the Adani Group have been closed. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week settled civil allegations against Adani.
Earlier on Monday, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has reached a $275 million settlement with Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) over the "apparent violations" of sanctions on Iran in the company’s purchase of LPG. According to an OFAC statement, AEL has agreed to pay $275 million to settle its potential civil liability for apparent violations of OFAC sanctions on Iran.
"From November 2023 to June 2025, AEL purchased shipments of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from a Dubai-based trader purporting to supply Omani and Iraqi gas. Red flags should have put AEL on notice that the LPG actually originated from Iran. During this time period, AEL caused US financial institutions to process 32 US dollar-denominated payments totalling approximately $192,104,044 for the shipments," the statement said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2026 08:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).