Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a longtime aide and confidant of mayor Eric Adams, expects to be indicted this week over accepting improper gifts, her lawyer said Monday.
Attorney Arthur Aidala organized a news conference with Lewis-Martin at his midtown office Monday morning, prompted by what he called “leaks” in media outlets about the Manhattan grand jury on the case.
“I’m being 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,” Lewis-Martin told reporters.
Lewis-Martin left her job as senior advisor to the mayor this weekend after decades of service to Adams during his time as a state senator, Brooklyn borough president and mayor, as well as paid work on his campaigns.
“During my tenure I have never taken gifts, money, anything. I have 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.”
Lewis-Martin expects the indictment to come down by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office sometime this week, where she’ll likely be charged alongside other people, Aidala said.
The New York Times reported Sunday that investigators are also eyeing Lewis-Martin’s son, Glenn Martin II, a professional DJ, and Mayank Dwivedi, a hotelier with properties in New York City and Long Island
Lewis-Martin was served a subpoena by federal investigators at John F. Kennedy Airport in September after landing on a flight from Japan following a vacation, and her phones were also seized by the Manhattan DA’s office. The Manhattan district attorney’s office didn’t have much contact with Aidala in the weeks after until last week, and he filed documents for a “proffer session” where Lewis-Martin would meet with investigators, Aidala said.
He said prosecutors denied this request, which is rare, Aidala remarked.
“It’s so disheartening that they didn’t let us come in and try to explain this to them so that they can see the light, that the way they’re connecting the dots is just not the truth, and justice dictates that the truth must come out,” he said.
Aidala added: “This is about politics and it’s not about justice.”
He and his client were also “seriously contemplating” going into a grand jury today but felt it was a “foregone conclusion that an indictment is going to be handed down no matter what.”
Lewis-Martin traveled to Japan earlier this year in a group that included Jesse Hamilton, who heads up real estate deals for the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services, as well as Diana Boutross, the lead leasing broker for city office space at Cushman & Wakefield.
Both also had their phones seized. In addition to the scrutiny from Bragg, the City Council and City Comptroller Brad Lander are investigating multi-million-dollar leases pending or signed by the Adams administration, THE CITY previously reported.
Lewis-Martin addressed the investigation hours after she was intercepted by authorities on Aidala’s radio show in September.
At the time she said “we are imperfect, but we are not thieves,.” adding: “We have not done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the DA’s office to investigate us,”
On Monday, Aidala cleared up her remarks to say she was speaking with humility that nobody was perfect — but that she is innocent.
“She never did anything more than her job for anything more than her salary,” he said.
“Ingrid Lewis-Martin never broke the law.”
