Former top aide to New York City’s mayor pleads not guilty in bribery case

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York City mayor’s former chief adviser, her son and two real estate investors were indicted Thursday on bribery and conspiracy charges that came as the mayor himself fights a separate corruption case.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who until recently was one of the most powerful people in city government, was brought into a Manhattan courtroom in handcuffs. She, her son Glenn D. Martin II — a DJ who once performed at City Hall — and real estate investors Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi pleaded not guilty.

“From the moment Lewis-Martin became the second most senior person in City Hall, she abused her position and sold her influence to enrich herself and her family,” prosecutors said in a court document.

Prosecutors said Lewis-Martin — who resigned Sunday — and her son raked in over $100,000 and got other help in exchange for her speeding approvals for construction projects.

Lewis-Martin’s lawyer said outside court that she simply helped a constituent cut through the Big Apple’s thick red tape.

“What she was doing here was just moving things along,” said the attorney, Arthur Aidala, calling the case “ridiculous.” He said the $100,000 was for a legitimate business deal involving Lewis-Martin’s son but didn’t provide details.

Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat facing his own federal bribery charges, is not a target of this investigation, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. But the indictment deals another blow to an administration already beset by overlapping scandals, including multiple pay-to-play allegations involving members of Adams’ inner circle.

Lewis-Martin, 63, has been one of the mayor’s closest confidants, serving in senior roles as Adams ascended the ranks of government in New York over nearly two decades.

Prosecutors wrote that Dwivedi, a hotelier with a background in finance, and Vaid, a developer who goes by “Pinky,” repeatedly asked Lewis-Martin for help getting approvals for such projects as a rooftop bar and a hotel. She in turn pressed officials in the city’s Department of Buildings to take action, which they did, prosecutors said.

“Again and again, she delivered for them,” Bragg said at a news conference, describing the alleged arrangement as “naked cronyism.”

In return, the developers paid $100,000 to Lewis-Martin’s son, who put the money in an account he shared with her, prosecutors said in a court document. He used some of the money to buy a $113,000 Porsche last year, they wrote.

Teny Geragos, a lawyer for Dwivedi, said he “did nothing wrong. We look forward to setting the record straight.”

Prosecutors said Martin II acted as “intermediary” for his mother, while receiving help from the businessmen with some of his own ventures, including a clothing line and an attempt to secure a Chick-fil-A franchise.

Martin II, who performs under the stage name DJ Suave Luciano, doesn’t appear to have prior food-service management experience, prosecutors said. According to the indictment, Martin II asked Vaid by phone for help handling application “questions about previous business history and stuff.” Vaid responded that he would “be with you to take care of those.”

In a text message, an attorney for Martin II, Michael Cibella, accused prosecutors of “twisting facts” against his client, who he said had merely “developed a friendship with successful, hard working businessmen.”

The indictment goes on to describe Martin-Lewis discussing the franchise plan with an unidentified person and saying: “Your sister has to be rich! I’m gonna retire.”

It’s unclear whether the franchise ever came through. A message seeking comment was sent to Chick-fil-A.

Court documents recount Vaid sending Lewis-Martin text messages plainly asking for her to “call your source to approve application” or to “please get this through,” and her relaying those requests to a top buildings official. In one instance, a buildings department employee met with Vaid the next day, according to the documents.

Beginning in December 2022, Lewis-Martin tried to cover her tracks by telling Vaid to make any “asks” through Signal, an encrypted messaging app, prosecutors wrote. An attorney for Lewis-Martin declined to explain the directive but noted that many government officials use Signal.

In addition to the charges outlined Thursday, prosecutors said in court that Lewis-Martin is the subject of several ongoing investigations.

Prosecutors seized her phone and searched her home in September, after meeting her at an airport as she got off a flight from Japan. The investigators also seized phones from a top city official overseeing a real estate deal and a broker involved in city leases, both of whom accompanied Lewis-Martin on the trip to Japan.

She has said she’s being “falsely accused” and that she had “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.”

Federal prosecutors charged Adams in September with accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence.

The mayor has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery. Adams’ federal trial is scheduled for April.

His administration has been enveloped by a series of investigations, searches and seizures, leading to the resignations of his police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and his director of Asian affairs.

Bragg also is prosecuting a bribery conspiracy case against former buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich, who has pleaded not guilty. No buildings department employees or officials have been charged in the alleged scheme involving Lewis-Martin. Her messages went to Ulrich’s successor, and it’s unclear whether anyone at the agency had any inkling of the alleged pay-to-play behind the scenes.

Douglas Muzzio, a retired political science professor and longtime commentator on New York politics, said the latest charges involving City Hall “might be the final shoe to drop” in the public’s perception of Adams’ tenure.

But he noted the mayor has been able to endure his own indictment.

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This story has been corrected to remove an erroneous reference to a federal indictment. These are state charges.

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Associated Press writers Karen Matthews and Philip Marcelo contributed from New York, and Anthony Izaguirre from Albany.