NEW YORK — Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who for years served as top advisor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, announced her retirement Sunday, effective immediately.
The announcement comes as Manhattan prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against him reportedly presented evidence to a grand jury.
According to the New York Times, a grand jury could seek an indictment as soon as this week.
Lewis-Martin leaves a month earlier than planned
Lewis-Martin has been with Adams since he was a state senator from Brooklyn and is one of the last members of his inner circle to leave office. His departure comes a month earlier than expected.
In a statement on Sunday, she said in part: “Please know that I will continue to do everything in my power to fight every day for this great city as a simple citizen. The time has come for me to focus on my wonderful family and myself and I am retiring.”
Adams released a statement on his top advisor’s resignation, saying, “Even though we’ve been planning this for a long time, it’s still difficult knowing that Ingrid won’t be right there every day.” I and all New Yorkers owe him a debt. debt of gratitude for his decades of service to our city.
Lewis-Martin’s attorney is expected to speak at a news conference Monday.
The Lewis-Martin investigation
On September 27, federal agents subpoenaed Lewis-Martin and seized his cell phone after returning from a trip to Japan. The same day, investigators also searched his Brooklyn home and Adams pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges. His trial is scheduled for April, just months before his re-election.
In October, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced it had opened an investigation into Lewis-Martin and four others, this would involve the city leasing commercial properties.
“We are imperfect, but we are not thieves,” Lewis-Martin said on her attorney’s radio show in September. “And I believe that ultimately the New York City public will see that we have not done anything illegal of a magnitude or scale that would require the federal government and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are investigating us.”
It’s unclear what evidence prosecutors would present to a grand jury, which could vote in favor of charging.
Legal expert JC Polanco told CBS News New York that Lewis-Martin’s situation “is not good news.”
“Look, the mayor is doing his best to move forward, put the city back together, work with the new administration. The last thing he needed was to have more bad news coming,” Polanco added . “She played an important role in union negotiations, zoning laws, working with the city council. She has a long and storied career and, we have to remember that as a lawyer, everyone here is innocent until proven guilty.”
Jessica Moore
