Eric Adams’ top aide to be indicted after she sensationally quit job

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a longtime confidant and top adviser to New York Mayor Eric Adams, is said to be bracing for charges that are expected to be dropped this week.

Sources close to the investigation confirmed that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has been investigating Lewis-Martin’s alleged involvement in questionable leases of city properties.

A grand jury in Lower Manhattan has heard evidence against Lewis Martin and is expected to vote on an indictment possibly as soon as Monday.

The scandal that now threatens to dismantle the mayor’s inner circle.

Lewis-Martin, 67, has long been an important figure at City Hall. He served as Adams’ chief advisor and was often described as his “sister consecrated to God.”

Her influence was unparalleled, but so were the controversies surrounding her tenure.

Last weekend, Lewis-Martin abruptly resigned, a dramatic departure that opens a grim chapter for the Adams administration, already reeling from multiple corruption investigations.

At the heart of the investigation is an alleged scheme involving the leasing of commercial real estate in the city to close friends and allies of Lewis-Martin.

While details of the indictment remain under wraps, sources told the Post that prosecutors in Manhattan have been sifting through evidence for months, following the seizure of Lewis-Martin’s phone at JFK Airport in late September.

That high-profile incident occurred as Lewis-Martin returned from a vacation in Japan with a group of close associates, including key figures in the city’s real estate dealings.

Investigators also seized the phones of several others linked to the alleged property scandal, including Jesse Hamilton, a top official in the city’s real estate industry, and Diana Boutross, a private real estate agent involved in city leasing.

The investigation has cast a shadow on City Hall, where federal raids and subpoenas have become an almost routine affair as Adams has taken federal charges of bribery and corruption.

Although several high-ranking officials have already been ensnared, Lewis-Martin’s involvement takes the crisis surrounding Mayor Adams’ administration to a new level.

The investigation, by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, is separate from the ongoing federal investigation into the mayor.

“For my city, I started as a community activist and worked on many campaigns, eventually ending up at City Hall. I’m a native New Yorker and I love my city. Please know that I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for this great city every day as a private citizen,” Lewis-Martin said in a statement on Sunday.

Adams issued his own statement on his lead advisor’s resignation, saying in part, “Ingrid has not only been a friend, a confidante and a trusted advisor, but also a sister.” We’ve always talked about when this day would come, and even though we’ve been planning for it for a long time, it’s still hard knowing that Ingrid won’t be next to us every day. I, and every New Yorker, owe her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city.”

Known for her unwavering loyalty to Adams, often pictured sitting next to him at his weekly press conferences, her no-holds-barred approach left Lewis-Martin both revered and reviled.

“I’m not Michelle Obama,” she once stated in an interview with City & State. “When they go low? We drill for oil. I’ll meet you down in the basement.’

This combative attitude made her a formidable force in City Hall and also earned her a reputation for controversy.

She staunchly defended Timothy Pearson and Winnie Greco, two controversial aides she brought into government even as federal raids and internal pressure demanded their removal.

Her refusal to back down reportedly caused a rift between her and the mayor, with insiders claiming the two had barely spoken in months.

For years, Lewis-Martin managed to rise above the fray, even as scandal raged around City Hall.

That all changed dramatically when she returned from Japan. At JFK, she was met by investigators from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, who confiscated her phone and served her a subpoena.

Hours later, she appeared on her lawyer Arthur Aidala’s radio show and defiantly proclaimed her innocence.

“We are imperfect, but we are not thieves,” she stated on air. “Ultimately, I believe the public in New York City will see that we have done nothing illegal of the size or scale that would require the federal government and the Attorney General’s Office to investigate us.”

Lewis-Martin was one of several aides ensnared in corruption investigations into the Adams administration.

In September, officers raided her home and confiscated her electronics. They joined the U.S. Department of Justice in what would be a separate investigation into the awarding of city contracts.

Her resignation on Sunday came as a shock to many, especially since she previously announced she would retire in January.

The abrupt nature of her departure has only fueled speculation about the severity of the allegations she now faces.

Mayor Adams, facing mounting criticism over his administration’s legal troubles, distanced himself from Lewis-Martin’s trip to Japan and the subsequent fallout.

“I didn’t know where Ingrid was going,” he told reporters. “She doesn’t tell me when she’s going on vacation and where she’s going.”

Before being appointed as chief counsel to Adams, Lewis-Martin served as chief of staff to the mayor in the New York State Senate for seven years.

In that position, she was instrumental in conceptualizing and implementing community programs to benefit the residents of Central Brooklyn, and later served as a senior advisor during Adams’ two terms as Brooklyn Borough President.

Adams appointed Lewis-Martin as his lead advisor in January 2022.

Adams has yet to publicly address the full scope of the allegations against his former adviser, but the scandal adds to a growing list of legal challenges for his administration, which is already grappling with allegations of federal bribery and corruption involving top officials.

Lewis-Martin’s resignation comes after other notable names previously resigned, including former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks, NYC Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, Public Safety Senior Advisor Tim Pearson and Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg.