Former top aide to New York City’s mayor surrenders to DA’s office to face charges
NEW YORK — A former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams surrendered to authorities Thursday to face corruption charges in the latest blow to the administration of a mayor who has seen who is facing his own indictment and investigations into multiple aides and allies.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who resigned Sunday as Adams’ chief adviser and one of the most powerful officials in City Hall, was seen entering the lower Manhattan office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg early Thursday morning.
Bragg and the commissioner of the city’s watchdog Department of Investigation, Jocelyn Strauber, have scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon. The topic was not announced, but two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Lewis-Martin was expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges brought by Bragg’s office.
The people were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The specific charges against Lewis-Martin were not publicly announced and remain unclear.
Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with the district attorney’s office and with Lewis-Martin’s attorney, Arthur Aidala.
The Department of Investigation declined comment on Wednesday.
Aidala told reporters this week that Lewis-Martin was expected to face criminal charges related to alleged improper gifts.
FILE — New York Mayor Eric Adams, and chief advisor to the mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, attend a press conference at City Hall, in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Credit: AP/Peter K. Afriyie
Lewis-Martin said Monday that she was being “falsely accused” and that she had “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 friend in order for me to do my job.”
The charges against Lewis-Martin come as the Adams administration has been roiled by criminal investigations.
Adams, a Democrat, has himself been charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges in an unrelated federal case scheduled for trial next April. He has pleaded not guilty.
Lewis-Martin, 63, has been one of the mayor’s closest confidants throughout his political career, serving in senior roles under Adams as he ascended the ranks of government in New York over the past nearly two decades. Her most recent post as Adams’ chief adviser made her one of the top officials at City Hall.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who abruptly resigned Sunday as New York Mayor Eric Adams’ chief adviser, and her attorney Arthur Aidala, spoke during a news conference, in New York, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Jake Offenhartz
She has been a target of investigators since at least September, when federal and Manhattan prosecutors met her at an airport in New York as she was getting off a flight from Japan. At the time, federal prosecutors served her with a subpoena while Manhattan prosecutors took her phones and searched her home.
Adams was charged in September with accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence.
The investigation into Adams became public late last year after federal agents searched the home of his top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. Lewis-Martin has referred to Suggs as her goddaughter.
Since then, the Adams administration has been enveloped by a series of searches and seizures from investigators, leading to the resignations of top officials, including his police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and his director of Asian affairs.
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