NEW YORK — Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who has been New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ top advisor for years, announced her retirement on Sunday, effective immediately.
The announcement came as Manhattan prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against her have 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 leaving 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 in his inner circle to leave office. Her departure comes a month earlier than expected.
In a statement Sunday, she 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 for me to focus on my wonderful family and myself and retire.”
Adams released a statement on his top advisor’s resignation, saying, “While we’ve long planned for it, it is still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be right next door every day. I, and every New Yorker, owe her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city.”
Lewis-Martin’s attorney is expected to speak at a news conference on Monday.
The investigation of Lewis-Martin
On Sept. 27, federal agents subpoenaed Lewis-Martin and seized her cellphone after she returned from a trip to Japan. On that same day, investigators also searched her Brooklyn home and Adams entered a not guilty plea on federal corruption charges. His trial is scheduled for April, just months before he will seek reelection.
In October, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced it had opened an investigation into Lewis-Martin and four others, reportedly involving the city’s leasing of commercial properties.
“We are imperfect, but we’re not thieves,” Lewis-Martin said on her attorney’s radio show back in September. “And I do believe that in the end, that the New York City public will see that we have not done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the DA office to investigate us.”
It’s unclear what evidence prosecutors are reportedly presenting to a grand jury panel, which could vote to indict.
Legal expert JC Polanco told CBS News New York Lewis-Martin’s situation “is not welcome news.”
“Look, the mayor is trying very hard to move forward, get the city back in place, work with the incoming administration. The last thing he needed was any more bad news coming down the pike,” Polanco added. “She has played an important role with union negotiations, zoning laws, working with the City Council. She’s has a long, storied career, and, we have to remember, as an attorney, everyone here is innocent until proven guilty.”
