Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg on Thursday announced a series of conspiracy and bribery charges against Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the former chief advisor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The charges allege systematic corruption spanning a period of nearly three years.

Four separate indictments charge Lewis-Martin with conspiracy in the fourth degree and bribery receiving in the second degree, alongside eight co-defendants, including her son. This comes after Lewis-Martin was indicted last December for allegedly influencing NYC municipal departments in exchange for more than $100,000 in cash and benefits. Thursday’s new round of charges includes conspiracy to steer city contracts for asylum-seeker shelter sites to preferred vendors in exchange for a $50,000 cash payment and conspiracy to obtain approval for a residential renovation project in exchange for thousands of dollars of catering supplied to mayoral events. 

DA Bragg spoke on the indictment, stating:

We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on City government… As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets. While she allegedly received more than $75,000 in bribes, … every other New Yorker lost out. Hardworking City employees were undermined, businesses and developers who followed the law were pushed aside, and the public was victimized by corruption at the highest levels of government.

In response to the indictment, Lewis-Martin’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said in a statement that his client was “facing charges classified at the lowest level of felony in our justice system.” He added, “Her offense was fulfilling her duty—helping fellow citizens navigate the city’s outdated and often overwhelming bureaucracy.” The attorney described the charges as “politically motivated lawfare.”

This comes amidst a tumultuous news cycle for Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent in the upcoming 2025 NYC mayoral race. On Wednesday, another Adams ally, former director of Asian Affairs at City Hall Winnie Greco, purportedly handed cash stuffed inside a bag of potato chips to a local reporter. Mayor Adams continues to face scrutiny over federal corruption charges, which were dismissed in April.