Mayor Eric Adams’ former top adviser took bribes tied to an array of high-profile projects that required City Hall approval, including migrant shelters, real estate developments and a major street safety redesign, Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin is accused in four separate indictments of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes while she served as the second-most-powerful official in local government. Lewis-Martin resigned from her position as the mayor’s chief adviser in December, shortly before she was charged in a previous bribery case, along with her son, Glenn Martin II. The new indictments come as Adams seeks reelection after a first term marred by corruption allegations against the mayor himself and his inner circle.
Lewis-Martin used her position to bend the power of city government to help television producers and real estate developers, prosecutors charged. In exchange, they say, she accepted cash, home renovations and catering services for events at the mayor’s residence at Gracie Mansion. She was also given a bit part in a popular television drama, according to prosecutors.
“If you are willing to pay, Ms. Lewis-Martin is open for business,” Assistant District Attorney Guy Tardonico said in court Thursday.
Jesse Hamilton, the deputy commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and a former state senator; and siblings Gina and Tony Argento, two prominent Adams donors who operate a soundstage company, were also charged. Developers Tian Ji Li and Yechiel Landau were also accused of bribery. Hamilton resigned from his post Thursday afternoon, a City Hall spokesperson confirmed.
They all pleaded not guilty Thursday morning in back-to-back proceedings in a packed courtroom. Justice Daniel Conviser ordered all the defendants to turn over their passports and seek permission for any international or domestic trips exceeding seven days.
Lewis-Martin’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said in a statement that “her only so-called ‘offense’ was fulfilling her duty — helping fellow citizens navigate the city’s outdated and often overwhelming bureaucracy.”
“At no point did she receive a single dollar or any personal benefit for her assistance,” he added. “We will vigorously fight these charges and ensure that the facts prevail.”
Thursday’s charges add to the laundry list of corruption allegations swirling around the Adams administration. Adams, a Democrat, is seeking reelection as an independent. During his first term, federal authorities investigated two NYPD commissioners, the education department chancellor, the deputy mayor for public safety and others.
Adams was indicted last year on federal bribery and campaign finance charges. The charges were dismissed earlier this year at the request of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which argued the case was interfering with Adams’ ability to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
In a statement Thursday, Adams denied any wrongdoing and showed support for Lewis-Martin and Hamilton.
“While Ingrid Lewis-Martin no longer works for this administration, she has been a friend and colleague of the mayor for over 40 years, and he knows her as a devoted public servant; she has declared her innocence, and his prayers are with her and her family,” the statement said.
One indictment centered on the controversial redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The Argentos opposed a “road diet” plan on the dangerous thoroughfare that would have installed bike lanes and reduced lanes of traffic. The Argentos said the overhaul would slow down trucks hauling film production gear for their company, Broadway Stages.
Prosecutors said Lewis-Martin tapped an employee from the mayor’s office in 2022 to scale back the redesign in accordance with the Argentos’ wishes. In exchange, Gina Argento allegedly paid Lewis-Martin $2,500 and provided catering services worth more than $10,000 for an event at Gracie Mansion.
The Argentos also secured a speaking role for Lewis-Martin in the crime drama TV series “Godfather of Harlem,” according to the indictment. The gig paid $800 and made Lewis-Martin eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild, prosecutors charged. A spokesperson for Disney, which distributes the show, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tony Argento also offered to help her land future appearances on the show, as well as the CBS police drama “Blue Bloods.”
In another indictment, prosecutors accused Lewis-Martin of helping a co-conspirator get approval for home renovations in exchange for more than $5,000 worth of free food for events at Gracie Mansion and City Hall.
“I told him, you know, you’re a friend and you have an issue,” Lewis-Martin told the unnamed co-conspirator in a phone call, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said Lewis-Martin brought the issue directly to the commissioner of the Department of Buildings. After her alleged intervention, the project was quickly approved.
The indictments also accuse Lewis-Martin of pressuring top city housing officials, including Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion, to approve a pair of projects owned by Landau, the Brooklyn-based developer, from 2022 to 2024. Her intervention allowed the projects to jump a lengthy queue of affordable housing developments in need of review and final approval. Carrion could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
Prosecutors say Lewis-Martin and Hamilton also steered city contracts to a Jamaica, Queens landlord at Landau’s behest in the summer of 2024. As head of real estate with the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Hamilton could influence or decide where the city leased office or shelter space.
In exchange, prosecutors say, Landau agreed to pay for renovations on a Brooklyn home that Lewis-Martin owned, and where her sister was living. Hamilton agreed to host Lewis-Martin’s sister in his home during the remodeling. In the meantime, Landau paid to clean and repaint Hamilton’s home in preparation for the sister’s arrival, according to the indictment.
Yet another indictment accused Lewis-Martin of helping to steer migrant shelter contracts to property owners associated with Li, the developer. The developer then wired $50,000 to a company owned by Lewis-Martin’s son, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Martin II acted as an intermediary between the developer and his mother to insulate Lewis-Martin from the bribery scheme. The indictment also accuses Lewis-Martin of helping to fast-track permit approvals for a karaoke bar in Queens.
“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on city government,” said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. “As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets.”
In recent weeks, a number of former top NYPD officials have filed civil suits against the mayor, claiming Adams and his cronies corruptly ran the department like a criminal enterprise. On Wednesday, another Adams adviser, Winnie Greco, handed a reporter a potato chip bag with cash inside.
This story has been updated to reflect that Gothamist reached out to Disney and Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion for comment.
It was also updated to reflect that Jesse Hamilton resigned from his job as deputy commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services Thursday afternoon.
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