Former chief adviser to Eric Adams indicted in $100,000 bribery scheme

A former chief adviser to New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, surrendered to city prosecutors on Thursday to face criminal charges related to an ongoing investigation of the mayor and his circle.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a powerful adviser of Adams, her son Glenn Martin II, aka Suave Luciano, and two real estate investors were indicted in an influence-peddling $100,000 bribery scheme.

Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, alleged in a statement that Lewis-Martin had used her authority to engage “in a long-running bribery, money laundering and conspiracy scheme by using her position and authority” to “illegally influence Department of Buildings and other city decisions in exchange for more than $100,000 in cash and benefits for herself and her son, Glenn Martin”.

According to court documents, Lewis-Martin and her son traded on the access and influence of her position with two New York business owners, Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi, to speed through construction permits for a rooftop bar and a hotel.

Prosecutors called Lewis-Martin “the second most senior person in city hall” and said she “abused her position and sold her influence to enrich herself and her family”.

“The indictment unsealed today can be summarized in three words – quid pro quo,” Bragg told reporters.

Jocelyn Strauber, New York City’s department of investigation commissioner, said that when city officials monetize their office for personal gain, “they undermine fundamental principles of integrity in government, diminish trust in public officials, and unfairly tarnish the reputations of the countless city employees who use their office solely to serve the public good”.

Lewis-Martin and her son allegedly made attempts to cover up the conspiracy by asking the participants to communicate on Signal, a third-party encrypted messaging app, and to use coded messages.

Lewis-Martin’s son allegedly received two $50,000 checks from his co-conspirators in August 2023 and deposited them in a bank account he held with his mother. $50,000 was transferred to a DJ production company and used to buy a Porsche.

The case is separate from the federal charges Adams is facing of over alleged corruption involving luxury travel gifts in exchange for expediting the New York fire department to approve the opening of a new high-rise Turkish consulate.

Lewis-Martin’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, told WABC on Monday ahead of Lewis-Martin’s surrender to authorities that the “pieces of puzzles are going to be put together to make it look as horrible as possible.

“But we know the truth, and the truth is Ingrid Lewis-Martin never broke the law,” Aidala added. At the same press conference, Lewis-Martin denied knowledge of any influence-peddling scheme.

“I have not made any arrangements in advance to take any gifts or money, or to have any gifts or money given to a family member or a friend in order for me to do my job,” she said.