Ingrid Lewis-Martin was officially indicted alongside her son and two real estate investors on charges of bribery and conspiracy.
Lewis-Martin and her son, Glenn Martin II, were charged with Bribe Receiving in the First Degree and Money Laundering in the Third Degree, while their co-conspirators, real estate investors Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi, were charged with Bribery in the First Degree. All four defendants were charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree.
Lewis-Martin surrendered herself to the Manhattan Criminal Court on Dec. 19.
“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in a long-running bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy scheme by using her position and authority as the Chief Advisor to the Mayor of the City of New York 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,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. “I would like to thank our prosecutors as we carry on the Manhattan D.A.’s Office’s proud tradition of taking on impactful public integrity cases, and the Department of Investigation for its steadfast partnership. We will continue to root out corruption; New Yorkers deserve no less.”
According to court documents, Lewis-Martin, who served as a chief aide to Mayor Eric Adams, 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, 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.
“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.”
Kcassman