Senior Staff Member of Eric Adams Faces Indictment for Bribery and Conspiracy Charges
Charges were also brought against the aide's son and two developers.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — On Thursday, prosecutors charged Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a close confidant of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in a case involving conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment, which claims that Lewis-Martin, the mayor's long-serving chief adviser who resigned abruptly on Sunday, provided special assistance to two real estate developers facing bureaucratic challenges with their construction projects. In return, the developers reportedly gifted Lewis-Martin and her son over $100,000 in checks and cash, part of which was allegedly used by her son to purchase a Porsche, according to the complaint and statement of facts.
The developers are also accused of helping Lewis-Martin’s son establish a Chick-fil-A franchise, and she expected support from one of the developers for her son's fashion venture.
Lewis-Martin's son, Glenn Martin II, along with the two developers, were also charged, and all four pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on Thursday.
Bragg stated that Lewis-Martin engaged in bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy in her position as the mayor's chief adviser, which comes with a salary of $287,663.
“We will continue to root out corruption; New Yorkers deserve no less,” Bragg emphasized.
This case adds to a series of troubles for the Democratic mayor’s inner circle, occurring just six months ahead of his reelection bid. Since September, five other high-ranking aides have either resigned or been ousted amid ongoing corruption investigations that included raids on their homes and the seizure of electronic devices. Allegations of corruption surrounding the mayor remain one of the persistent themes of his first term.
On Thursday morning, both Lewis-Martin and her son, a DJ known as Suave Luciano, turned themselves in to the DA's office as part of the case involving the city’s Department of Buildings.
Following their arraignment, Lewis-Martin's attorney, Arthur Aidala, spoke to the press, dismissing the allegations as politically driven and lacking evidence.
“We’re very confident that New Yorkers, using their common sense in this courthouse, will understand the ridiculousness of these charges,” he remarked.
The alleged misconduct reportedly began just weeks after Adams took office in 2022. A significant meeting between Lewis-Martin, her son, and the two developers—Raizada Vaid, known as Pinky, and Mayank Dwivedi—occurred on January 22, 2022, leading to numerous subsequent meetings and communications.
For instance, in May 2022, Lewis-Martin's son requested her help with a visa issue concerning one of the developer's family members, a matter she raised with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office.
By November of the same year, the developers encountered challenges with a Manhattan property. “Ingrid Madam is needed,” Dwivedi allegedly texted Vaid during this period.
In subsequent weeks, the developers requested Lewis-Martin’s assistance on another Manhattan project, and she allegedly reached out to the interim Buildings Department commissioner to expedite permit processes, demonstrating her influence regarding their construction developments.
“Without regard to safety considerations and with complete disregard for DOB’s expertise, Lewis-Martin acted as an on-call consultant for Vaid and Dwivedi to resolve whatever issues they had with DOB on their construction projects,” Bragg wrote in the statement of facts.
On December 8, Lewis-Martin instructed the developers to communicate through the encrypted messaging app Signal, reminding them to use it for their requests. Later that day, she texted her son, “Pinky has you completely covered. You[r] fashion line is 100 percent. Call him later.”
In August 2022, Vaid and Dwivedi issued cashiers checks totaling $100,000, which were deposited by Lewis-Martin’s son into a bank account shared with her.
In another exchange, her son requested Vaid's assistance in opening a Chick-fil-A franchise, expressing concerns that his previous business history might obstruct the process. “I need your help on Chick-fil-A… You want me to start the process with the paperwork?” he inquired. Vaid assured him that they could “make it happen.”
Over the following weeks, the group started scouting locations for the franchise. At one point, Lewis-Martin remarked to a third party interested in the Chick-fil-A location, “I’m not playing. Your sister has to be rich! I’m gonna retire,” it is alleged.
Aidala defended Lewis-Martin, asserting she was merely doing her job in reaching out to the Buildings Department commissioner, embodying the mayor's mission to support businesses. “Eric Adams ran on the promise: I’m going to help businesses go up. I am not going to help bring businesses down,” he said.
He further claimed that the $100,000 transaction was legitimate. “Does that sound like a New York City bribery scheme, or does it sound like a bunch of people who know each other?” he questioned.
Bragg charged all four defendants with conspiracy, while Lewis-Martin and her son faced additional charges of receiving a bribe and money laundering. The developers received bribery charges alongside the conspiracy charge.
The DA issued the charges in conjunction with the city’s Department of Investigation. DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber commented, “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.”
Notably, this isn’t Lewis-Martin’s first encounter with Bragg. In late September, DA officials detained her at John F. Kennedy Airport and confiscated her phones upon her return from an international trip with other city aides and a lobbyist, while Bragg’s office executed a search of her Brooklyn residence. Federal prosecutors were also present, serving her with a grand jury subpoena at the airport.
The day prior, federal prosecutors had indicted Adams in a separate alleged corruption case, to which he pleaded not guilty.
In a radio appearance, Lewis-Martin appeared to acknowledge some level of wrongdoing, stating, “We are imperfect, but we’re not thieves,” and expressed confidence that the public would recognize the lack of significant illegality.
Earlier this week, Lewis-Martin defended herself, stating, “I’m here falsely accused of — something. I don’t know exactly what it is. But I know that I was told that it’s something that’s illegal. And I have never done anything illegal in my capacity in government.”
Adams reflected on Lewis-Martin’s resignation, highlighting their close relationship: “Whenever I walked on stage to do a State of the City, go to a debate, no matter what I did, she would walk in the room, ask everyone to leave, and she would grab my hands and she would pray for me to give me the strength and courage to move forward as I try to communicate with New Yorkers,” he noted during a briefing. “This morning I did it for her. I lifted her up in prayer.”
A spokesperson for the city’s Buildings Department remarked that inspectors were dispatched to two properties mentioned in the indictment and indicated that an audit of construction applications for the developments is forthcoming.
City Hall has reiterated Bragg's assertion that the mayor is not implicated in Lewis-Martin's indictment, directing inquiries about Lewis-Martin to her attorney.
While the mayor himself isn't directly charged in this case, he is facing separate bribery allegations in federal court concerning the Turkish government.
Aidala expressed skepticism regarding motives behind the investigation and affirmed Lewis-Martin's loyalty to Adams: “I don’t know if they’re trying to get to Eric Adams. Ingrid Lewis-Martin has nothing bad to say about Eric Adams. So if they think this is a way to get to him, they are absolutely wrong.”
He added that if investigators indeed monitored his client’s phone calls, they would uncover nothing inappropriate. “I hope they’ve been listening to Ingrid’s phone for the last 30 years,” Aidala stated. “You know what they’re going to find out? She loves karaoke with all of her friends. She loves international travel with all of her friends. She is loyal to her family, friends and to Eric Adams.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment, which claims that Lewis-Martin, the mayor's long-serving chief adviser who resigned abruptly on Sunday, provided special assistance to two real estate developers facing bureaucratic challenges with their construction projects. In return, the developers reportedly gifted Lewis-Martin and her son over $100,000 in checks and cash, part of which was allegedly used by her son to purchase a Porsche, according to the complaint and statement of facts.
The developers are also accused of helping Lewis-Martin’s son establish a Chick-fil-A franchise, and she expected support from one of the developers for her son's fashion venture.
Lewis-Martin's son, Glenn Martin II, along with the two developers, were also charged, and all four pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on Thursday.
Bragg stated that Lewis-Martin engaged in bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy in her position as the mayor's chief adviser, which comes with a salary of $287,663.
“We will continue to root out corruption; New Yorkers deserve no less,” Bragg emphasized.
This case adds to a series of troubles for the Democratic mayor’s inner circle, occurring just six months ahead of his reelection bid. Since September, five other high-ranking aides have either resigned or been ousted amid ongoing corruption investigations that included raids on their homes and the seizure of electronic devices. Allegations of corruption surrounding the mayor remain one of the persistent themes of his first term.
On Thursday morning, both Lewis-Martin and her son, a DJ known as Suave Luciano, turned themselves in to the DA's office as part of the case involving the city’s Department of Buildings.
Following their arraignment, Lewis-Martin's attorney, Arthur Aidala, spoke to the press, dismissing the allegations as politically driven and lacking evidence.
“We’re very confident that New Yorkers, using their common sense in this courthouse, will understand the ridiculousness of these charges,” he remarked.
The alleged misconduct reportedly began just weeks after Adams took office in 2022. A significant meeting between Lewis-Martin, her son, and the two developers—Raizada Vaid, known as Pinky, and Mayank Dwivedi—occurred on January 22, 2022, leading to numerous subsequent meetings and communications.
For instance, in May 2022, Lewis-Martin's son requested her help with a visa issue concerning one of the developer's family members, a matter she raised with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office.
By November of the same year, the developers encountered challenges with a Manhattan property. “Ingrid Madam is needed,” Dwivedi allegedly texted Vaid during this period.
In subsequent weeks, the developers requested Lewis-Martin’s assistance on another Manhattan project, and she allegedly reached out to the interim Buildings Department commissioner to expedite permit processes, demonstrating her influence regarding their construction developments.
“Without regard to safety considerations and with complete disregard for DOB’s expertise, Lewis-Martin acted as an on-call consultant for Vaid and Dwivedi to resolve whatever issues they had with DOB on their construction projects,” Bragg wrote in the statement of facts.
On December 8, Lewis-Martin instructed the developers to communicate through the encrypted messaging app Signal, reminding them to use it for their requests. Later that day, she texted her son, “Pinky has you completely covered. You[r] fashion line is 100 percent. Call him later.”
In August 2022, Vaid and Dwivedi issued cashiers checks totaling $100,000, which were deposited by Lewis-Martin’s son into a bank account shared with her.
In another exchange, her son requested Vaid's assistance in opening a Chick-fil-A franchise, expressing concerns that his previous business history might obstruct the process. “I need your help on Chick-fil-A… You want me to start the process with the paperwork?” he inquired. Vaid assured him that they could “make it happen.”
Over the following weeks, the group started scouting locations for the franchise. At one point, Lewis-Martin remarked to a third party interested in the Chick-fil-A location, “I’m not playing. Your sister has to be rich! I’m gonna retire,” it is alleged.
Aidala defended Lewis-Martin, asserting she was merely doing her job in reaching out to the Buildings Department commissioner, embodying the mayor's mission to support businesses. “Eric Adams ran on the promise: I’m going to help businesses go up. I am not going to help bring businesses down,” he said.
He further claimed that the $100,000 transaction was legitimate. “Does that sound like a New York City bribery scheme, or does it sound like a bunch of people who know each other?” he questioned.
Bragg charged all four defendants with conspiracy, while Lewis-Martin and her son faced additional charges of receiving a bribe and money laundering. The developers received bribery charges alongside the conspiracy charge.
The DA issued the charges in conjunction with the city’s Department of Investigation. DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber commented, “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.”
Notably, this isn’t Lewis-Martin’s first encounter with Bragg. In late September, DA officials detained her at John F. Kennedy Airport and confiscated her phones upon her return from an international trip with other city aides and a lobbyist, while Bragg’s office executed a search of her Brooklyn residence. Federal prosecutors were also present, serving her with a grand jury subpoena at the airport.
The day prior, federal prosecutors had indicted Adams in a separate alleged corruption case, to which he pleaded not guilty.
In a radio appearance, Lewis-Martin appeared to acknowledge some level of wrongdoing, stating, “We are imperfect, but we’re not thieves,” and expressed confidence that the public would recognize the lack of significant illegality.
Earlier this week, Lewis-Martin defended herself, stating, “I’m here falsely accused of — something. I don’t know exactly what it is. But I know that I was told that it’s something that’s illegal. And I have never done anything illegal in my capacity in government.”
Adams reflected on Lewis-Martin’s resignation, highlighting their close relationship: “Whenever I walked on stage to do a State of the City, go to a debate, no matter what I did, she would walk in the room, ask everyone to leave, and she would grab my hands and she would pray for me to give me the strength and courage to move forward as I try to communicate with New Yorkers,” he noted during a briefing. “This morning I did it for her. I lifted her up in prayer.”
A spokesperson for the city’s Buildings Department remarked that inspectors were dispatched to two properties mentioned in the indictment and indicated that an audit of construction applications for the developments is forthcoming.
City Hall has reiterated Bragg's assertion that the mayor is not implicated in Lewis-Martin's indictment, directing inquiries about Lewis-Martin to her attorney.
While the mayor himself isn't directly charged in this case, he is facing separate bribery allegations in federal court concerning the Turkish government.
Aidala expressed skepticism regarding motives behind the investigation and affirmed Lewis-Martin's loyalty to Adams: “I don’t know if they’re trying to get to Eric Adams. Ingrid Lewis-Martin has nothing bad to say about Eric Adams. So if they think this is a way to get to him, they are absolutely wrong.”
He added that if investigators indeed monitored his client’s phone calls, they would uncover nothing inappropriate. “I hope they’ve been listening to Ingrid’s phone for the last 30 years,” Aidala stated. “You know what they’re going to find out? She loves karaoke with all of her friends. She loves international travel with all of her friends. She is loyal to her family, friends and to Eric Adams.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
