NEW YORK — Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who has been a top adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams for years, announced her retirement Sunday, effective immediately.
The announcement came as Manhattan prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against her had 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 expected
Lewis-Martin has been with Adams since he was a state senator in Brooklyn, and is one of the last of his inner circle to leave office. His departure comes a month earlier than expected.
In a statement Sunday, he said, in part: “Know that I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for this great city every day as a private citizen. The time has come to focus on my wonderful family and in myself and retire”.
Adams issued a statement about his top adviser’s resignation, saying, “Although we’ve planned for a long time, it’s still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be around every day. I, and all New Yorkers, owe her a 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 research
On September 27, federal agents subpoenaed Lewis-Martin and seized his cell phone after he returned from a trip to Japan. That 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 he seeks re-election.
In October, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced it had opened an investigation into Lewis-Martin and four others. allegedly involves the leasing of commercial properties in the city.
“We’re imperfect, but we’re not thieves,” Lewis-Martin told his lawyer’s radio show in September. “And I think that in the end, the New York public will see that we have done nothing illegal to the extent or scale that requires the federal government and the DA’s office to investigate us.”
It’s unclear what evidence prosecutors are presenting to a grand jury, which could vote to indict.
Legal expert JC Polanco told CBS News New York that Lewis-Martin’s situation is “not welcome news.”
“Look, the mayor is trying very hard to move forward, to get the city back, to work with the incoming administration. The last thing he needed was more bad news coming,” added Polanco. “She’s played an important role with union negotiations, zoning laws, working with the City Council. She has a long track record and, we have to remember, as a lawyer, everyone here is innocent until proven guilty.”
