US drops all criminal charges against Gautam Adani, high-profile wire fraud case dismissed
News Desk: In a significant legal setback for the prosecution, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has permanently withdrawn all criminal charges against Indian billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, effectively closing a high-profile securities and wire fraud case that had drawn global attention, according to media reports.
The case, which was being heard in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, has been dismissed “with prejudice” — a legal term indicating that the charges cannot be filed again in the future.
DOJ Ends Prosecution
In official court filings, the DOJ stated that after reassessing the matter, it had chosen not to continue pursuing the criminal proceedings against the Adanis.
“The Department of Justice has reviewed this case and has decided… not to devote further resources to these criminal charges,” prosecutors said, formally bringing the long-running indictment to an end.
The development is being viewed as a major relief for the Adani Group, which had faced intense international scrutiny following the allegations.
The Adani Group has drawn a major international regulatory chapter to a close after reaching a settlement with the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over alleged violations linked to Iran-related LPG imports.
Under the agreement, Adani Enterprises will pay $275 million to settle potential civil liability arising from the probe, which examined shipments of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) routed through the group-operated Mundra Port.
#BREAKING | Relief For Adani Group, US Sanctions Probe Ends In $275 Million Settlement https://t.co/GhpdRVBH84@vishnundtv and @alexandermats share details with @shivaroor pic.twitter.com/GymF7ol3pr
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 18, 2026
Iran-linked LPG under scanner
The investigation focused on LPG imports handled between late 2023 and mid-2025. According to disclosures, Adani Enterprises allegedly procured LPG cargoes from a Dubai-based trading intermediary that claimed the supplies originated from Oman and Iraq.
However, investigators later suspected that the trading route may have been used to channel Iranian-origin LPG into global markets, potentially breaching US sanctions restrictions tied to Iran.
Adani denies knowledge of Iranian origin
Adani Enterprises maintained that the transaction documents available during the deals did not indicate any Iranian connection. The company also stated that none of the counterparties involved were listed under US sanctions at the time of the imports.
The conglomerate further stressed that it cooperated extensively with US authorities, voluntarily disclosed internal findings, and subsequently tightened compliance mechanisms across its businesses.
Penalty reduced after cooperation
According to the settlement order, the company suspended LPG imports soon after concerns emerged and hired US legal experts to conduct an internal review.
Investigators noted that the group shared extensive documentation with OFAC and introduced enhanced sanctions-compliance protocols across multiple entities. These steps reportedly helped reduce the financial penalty from a potential maximum exposure of nearly $384 million to the final settlement amount of $275 million.
Regulatory pressure begins to ease
The OFAC settlement comes shortly after another resolution involving Adani executives and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), indicating that regulatory pressure on the infrastructure-to-energy conglomerate may be easing after months of international scrutiny.
Despite the legal challenges, the Adani Group has continued to post strong operational growth, reporting record EBITDA figures and aggressive capital expenditure across infrastructure, logistics, ports, and renewable energy businesses — reinforcing its ongoing global expansion ambitions.
