The United States is set to drop criminal fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani after he agreed to pay $18m (£14.2m) to settle a civil fraud lawsuit with the American securities regulator. Adani, 63, is the chairman of the Adani Group, one of India's largest conglomerates with interests spanning energy , ports, airports and infrastructure, and is worth an estimated $82bn according to Forbes, making him one of the world's richest people. He and his nephew Sagar Adani agreed to the settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission , which is subject to court approval and does not include any admission or denial of the allegations. The New York Times reported on Thursday that the Justice Department was preparing to drop its criminal fraud charges against Adani, his nephew and former Adani Green Energy chief executive Vneet Jaain, who had been charged with securities fraud, conspiracy and wire fraud.…