Ingrid Lewis-Martin, former long-time adviser to Mayor Eric Adams, was officially indicted alongside her son and two real estate investors Thursday on charges of bribery and conspiracy.
Lewis-Martin and her son, Glenn Martin II, were charged with first-degree bribe receiving and third-degree money laundering, while their alleged co-conspirators, real estate investors Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi, were charged with first-degree bribery. All four defendants were charged with fourth-degree conspiracy.
Lewis-Martin arrived early on Dec. 19 at Manhattan Criminal Court to surrender, striding into the hall of justice before a phalanx of waiting reporters and photographers. Days earlier, she publicly stated that an indictment against her had been pending, and alleged that she had done nothing wrong.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, however, said the indictment accuses Lewis-Martin of ‘using her position and authority as the Chief Advisor” to Mayor Adams “to illegally influence Department of Buildings and other city decisions in exchange for more than $100,000 in cash and benefits for herself and her son, Glenn Martin II.”
According to court documents, Lewis-Martin and her son allegedly traded the access and influence of her position in exchange for more than $100,000 in checks and cash from Vaid and Dwivedi, who own businesses and properties around Manhattan, including Glass Ceiling, a rooftop bar near Herald Square, and the Hotel on Rivington on the Lower East Side.
Over the course of the investigation, prosecutors learned, both locations allegedly had permits pending with the Department of Buildings (DOB) at various times, and Vaid and Dwivedi would allegedly contact Martin and Lewis-Martin repeatedly to expedite the process or push through rejected applications without any regard for safety considerations or DOB expertise.
On multiple occasions, the indictment alleges, Lewis-Martin relayed requests from Vaid or Dwivedi to the then-acting DOB commissioner. In August 2023, Martin allegedly received two $50,000 checks from his co-conspirators: one cashier’s check from Dwivedi’s company and one personal check from Vaid. He allegedly deposited the checks into joint bank accounts held with Lewis-Martin, and he then transferred $50,000 to a company used for his DJ business, Suave Productions, and used that money to issue a $113,000 cashier’s check to buy a Porsche.
Court documents note that Lewis-Martin allegedly further insinuated herself by using her son as a go-between, having allegedly laundered the money through his accounts.
Lewis-Martin stepped down from her City Hall position on Sunday, Dec. 15. Months earlier, authorities seized her phone and raided her Brooklyn home in connection with the investigation.
The former mayoral aide denied any wrongdoing and insinuated the impending indictment was politically motivated.
“As alleged in the indictment announced today, the Mayor’s Chief Advisor accepted cash and other benefits for herself and her son, in exchange for using her authority and influence to expedite her co-conspirators’ construction projects,” said DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. “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. I thank the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its steadfast partnership on these important public corruption investigations.”
