Manhattan prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the chief adviser to Mayor Eric Adams, have presented evidence to a grand jury and could seek an indictment as soon as this week, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Ms. Lewis-Martin, 63, abruptly resigned from city government on Sunday.
She has been under investigation at least since September, when investigators from the district attorney’s office seized her phones at Kennedy International Airport as she and a group of colleagues and friends were returning from a vacation to Japan. The inquiry has examined possible bribery and money laundering in the city’s leasing of commercial properties, several people said in September.
But the district attorney’s office has also been examining other possible crimes, some of the people said. They include allegations that involve Ms. Lewis-Martin’s son, Glenn Martin II, a professional D.J.; Mayank Dwivedi, a hotelier who owns and operates several properties in New York City and the Hamptons; and one of his business associates. Those allegations appear to be the focus of the possible charges this week, the people said. Their precise nature was unclear, but that aspect of the investigation has focused on possible bribery and official misconduct, the people said.
The investigation appears to be continuing, and there is no indication that it is focused on Mr. Adams.
Ms. Lewis-Martin’s lawyer, Arthur L. Aidala, said in a statement that he and his client have been aware of the investigation since her phones were seized. “The only thing of which we are certain is that Ingrid Lewis-Martin has served this city admirably for decades in an ethical, moral and law abiding manner,” the statement said.
Lawyers for Mr. Martin, Mr. Dwivedi and his associate could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ms. Lewis-Martin said in her statement announcing her resignation that she planned to spend more time with her family. The statement, which was issued before The New York Times reported the possible charges against her, did not address the investigation. Her resignation from the post, where she was paid approximately $287,000, was first reported by Politico New York.
Addressing the mayor, she said: “I extend humble gratitude to you for encouraging me to be my authentic self and for having my back during some trying times. As you would say, this has been a good ride; I will use author’s license and say that this has been an amazing ride.”
Once viewed as the second most powerful person at City Hall, Ms. Lewis-Martin has been part of Mr. Adams’s inner circle for decades, becoming known as a fiercely loyal lieutenant who could make deals and fend off threats from opponents.
In a statement on Sunday in response to her resignation, Mr. Adams said Ms. Lewis-Martin “has not been just a friend, a confidante and trusted adviser, but also a sister.”
“We’ve always talked about when this day would come, and while we’ve long planned for it, it is still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be right next door every day,” he said. “I, and every New Yorker, owe her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city.”
The presentation of evidence to a grand jury and the possibility of criminal charges against Ms. Lewis-Martin, the mayor’s closest confidant who has worked with him for decades, could hardly come at a worse time for Mr. Adams.
The first-term mayor is facing a federal corruption trial in April, just months before he will seek a second term in the 2025 mayoral election. Three other federal corruption investigations focused on some of his most senior aides — all of whom resigned after those inquiries became public — appear to be grinding along.
Grand juries like the one focused on Ms. Lewis-Martin conduct their work in secret, and little is publicly known about the evidence that prosecutors put before the panel. They can ask its 23 members to vote to indict after the case has been presented. But the presentation of evidence does not ensure that charges will be brought. The panels generally vote to hand up an indictment, but they could determine that the evidence they reviewed is insufficient to support criminal charges.
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