Lewis-Martin, Former Top Adviser to Adams, Faces New Corruption Charges
Prosecutors charge Lewis-Martin and her son with accepting in bribes. The fresh indictments are expected to weigh down the campaign of Eric Adams in his long-shot bid for reelection.
| 22 Aug 2025 | 05:57
The former adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, is escorted into the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, Aug. 21. (
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Until her resignation last December, deputy mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin (red jacket) was constantly by the side of Mayor Eric Adams as seen here during a September 2024 press briefing. Most of the top aides who used to join Adams at his weekly press briefings have resigned. Deputy Mayor and Communications Director Fabien Levy (second from left of Adams) remains. (
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Ingrid Lewis-Martin, an ally of Eric Adams for 40 years, resigned as deputy mayor in December and this week was facing new bribery charges brought by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg. (
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Longtime Eric Adams aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin was hit with a new round of charges under four new indictments unsealed by prosecutors on Aug. 21.
Lewis-Martin surrendered to authorities at One Hogan Place in downtown Manhattan and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors from DA Alvin Bragg’s office, along with the city Department of Investigation, charged Lewis-Martin, her son Glen Martin II, aka DJ Suave Luciano, and seven others in four separate indictments.
Among those also charged was the city commissioner of real estate development Jesse Hamilton, who resigned following the indictment.
From March 2022 until November 2024, Lewis-Martin is charged with steering city contracts, including for asylum-seeker shelters, fast-tracking permits for a karaoke bar in Queens, influencing the Department of Transportation to cancel a bike lane on McGuiness Boulevard in Brooklyn, and speeding up development contracts in exchange for favors.
The new indictments accuse her of netting more than $75,000 in bribes and other benefits, including a role on a TV show.
With Jesse Hamilton, Lewis-Martin and her son are alleged to have conspired to fast-track development projects and steer city contracts on behalf of a co-defendant in exchange for renovations on their homes.
Regarding the cancellation of the protected bike lane in Brooklyn, Lewis-Martin is alleged to have received a $2,500 payment and other personal benefits, including a speaking role on a TV show and thousands of dollars of catering for an event at Gracie Mansion.
Among the charges: On Sept. 21, 2022, Lewis-Martin appeared in a nightclub scene with actor Forest Whitaker for the Hulu show Godfather of Harlem. She was alleged to have sent a selfie to fellow co-defendants Gina and Tony Argento, the owners of the production company.
The charges involving her son allege he received a payment of $50,000 into his bank account after Lewis-Martin steered a $12-million contract for a shelter for asylum seekers to an associate of businessman Tian Ji Li, who personally netted $1.2 million.
Li is the same person who allegedly repeatedly sought and received Lewis-Martin’s assistance “with matters pending before the FDNY and DOB related to the construction of his karaoke bar, V Show,” accordding to the indictment.
On the McGuiness Boulevard scheme, she is said to have worked with Gina and Tony Argento of Broadway Stages, who opposed the bike lanes and reduction of traffic around their studio.
While her cameo appearance on Godfather of Harlem netted her only $806.31, Tony Argento said he would serve as her agent, work to get her into the Screen Actors Guild, and get her additional roles in Godfather of Harlem and Blue Bloods, which frequently filmed in his studio, according to the indictment. Ultimately, prosecutors say, Lewis-Martin got Mayor Adams to withdraw his support for the DOT plan, the indictment charges.
She is also charged with intervening with city agencies to promote various projects for developer Yechiel Landau in exchange for renovations of and/or improvements to a property she owned as well as one owned by Hamilton.
“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on city government,” said DA Bragg. “As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets. While she allegedly received more than $75,000 in bribes and an appearance on a TV show, every other New Yorker lost out.”
An Adams spokesperson characterized Lewis-Marin as a “dedicated public servant.”
Glen Martin II, Jesse Hamilton, soundstage proprietors Gina and Tony Argento and real estate developers Tian Ji Li and Yechiel Landau all pleaded not guilty at their arraignments on Aug. 21.
Arthur Aidala, the attorney for Lewis-Martin, called the new charges “a troubling example of politically motivated lawfare,” according to City & State.