Ingrid Lewis-Martin, former chief adviser to Mayor Adams, is indicted on bribery charges

Mayor Eric Adams’ closest and fiercest adviser was indicted Thursday on state bribery charges, kicking off yet another criminal case of someone who has been at the highest level of Adams' administration while the mayor himself fights a separate, federal corruption case.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who's been close with Adams for decades, is accused of expediting city approvals for a pair of real estate investors who authorities say paid her son $100,000. Prosecutors allege her son put the money into a joint account held with Lewis-Martin and then used it to help pay for a luxury 2023 Porsche.

“From the moment Lewis-Martin became the second-most senior person in City Hall, she abused her position and sold her influence to enrich herself and her family,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office wrote in court papers accompanying the indictment.

Lewis-Martin was led into a Manhattan criminal courtroom in handcuffs Thursday before she was charged with conspiracy, money laundering and receiving a bribe. Her son, Glenn Martin II, was also charged, along with the two businessmen, Raizada “Pinky” Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi. All four pleaded not guilty.

“Your honor, I am not guilty,” Lewis-Martin told acting State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Consiver.

At City Hall, Lewis-Martin wielded influence that was arguably second only to the mayor himself. She scuttled high-profile street safety projects, played a key role with appointments and negotiated deals that included extending Adams’ control over city schools.

She resigned over the weekend, becoming the latest high-level Adams aide to depart City Hall amid a swirl of investigations — and the highest level official after the mayor himself to face criminal charges.

The indictment accuses Lewis-Martin of engaging in a quid-pro-quo bribery scheme with Vaid and Dwivedi, business owners who were trying to open a rooftop bar known as the Glass Ceiling and a hotel known as the Hotel at Rivington, both in Manhattan.

Prosecutors say Lewis-Martin repeatedly leaned on the city Department of Buildings to help expedite approvals or navigate issues regarding the two projects beginning in December 2022, including by directly texting the agency’s then-acting commissioner. That same day, Lewis-Martin texted her son, Martin II, saying that Vaid had him “completely covered.”

Soon after, Lewis-Martin instructed Vaid to communicate with her on Signal, an encrypted messaging app where she set her messages to auto-delete after an hour, according to the indictment. Later, she instructed Vaid and Dwivedi to direct “asks” of her to her son, it says.

In August 2023, less than two weeks after Vaid’s architect filed an application to amend the construction plan for the hotel, Dwivedi’s company issued a $50,000 cashier’s check to Lewis-Martin’s son, according to the indictment. Martin II deposited it in an account he shared with his mother, the indictment says. The next day, the son deposited a separate $50,000 check from Vaid, with “personal loan” on the memo line.

A few days later, the indictment says, Martin II bought a $113,000 Porsche — which prosecutors say he wouldn’t have been able to do without the alleged bribe money. At one dealership, prosecutors allege, he said his father was funding the purchase and put a man on the phone to impersonate him.

When he later bought the car from another dealer, Martin II texted his mother a photo of him and a man – his “father” — clasping hands in front of the Porsche, according to the indictment.

“Is that your dad,” Lewis-Martin allegedly texted back.

Arthur Aidala, Lewis-Martin’s attorney, said Martin II had his “own independent relationship” with the two businessmen. He called the prosecutors’ case “preposterous.”

“So Ingrid is going to do a favor for a bribe, get a check made out and put it in her own bank account,” he told reporters. “Really?!”

Attorneys for Lewis-Martin's son and the two investors could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

At a news conference announcing the indictment, Bragg said it “portrays a clear picture: You do this for me, and I’ll do this for you.”

“It was not in the best interest in the city of New York and the people who live here,” he said.

In anticipation of the indictment, Lewis-Martin stepped down from her role at City Hall on Sunday. At a press conference on Monday, she denied any wrongdoing.

“I’ve worked in government for over 35 years,” she said. “I have never taken any gifts, money, anything.”

But according to Manhattan prosecutors, in her private communications, Lewis-Martin used a different tone. Prosecutors say that Lewis-Martin told a real estate broker over the summer, while trying to secure a Chick-fil-A franchise for her son: “I’m not playing. Your sister has to be rich!” — apparently referring to herself.

Earlier this week, Adams said he prayed for Lewis-Martin but declined to answer questions about her case.

Lewis-Martin’s indictment is the latest in a string of legal headaches for the mayor and his office. On Sept. 26, Adams was charged in Manhattan federal court with using his authority to expedite the opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan in exchange for travel perks. The next day, state investigators seized Lewis-Martin’s phone at JFK Airport, where she was returning from a trip to Japan.

Adams has pleaded not guilty.

Lewis-Martin, meanwhile, was released without bail but with some travel restrictions. Prosecutors acknowledged in court that wiretaps are part of the evidence in the case, which Aidala said he welcomes.

“I hope they’ve been listening to Ingrid’s phones for the last 30 years,” Aidala said outside the courthouse. “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.”

Brittany Kriegstein and Catalina Gonella contributed reporting.