Today’s New York Post cover story reports on the carnival of alleged corruption surrounding New York Mayor Eric Adams. The story is based on indictments secured by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in state court yesterday — so handle them with care. Bragg has posted a related press release and statement of facts.
The indictments serve up a “diverse” cocktail of money, politics, illegal immigration, municipal regulatory agencies, and show business in a story that must be fated for recapitulation in a cable series. The bribery allegations affect city agencies including the Department of Buildings, Fire Department, Department of Transportation, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and Housing Preservation and Development.
The Post cover story is illustrated with a myriad of photos that add to the carnival atmospherics. Be sure to check them out. This is just the opening of the Post’s long story:
Throw another shrimp on the bribery.
Mayor Eric Adams’ longtime right-hand Ingrid Lewis-Martin ran a corruption scheme with tentacles reaching across the city, exchanging political favors for $75,000 in bribes — including thousands in seafood and an acting role opposite Forest Whitaker, prosecutors alleged Thursday.
Lewis-Martin exuded irritation as she walked into a Manhattan courtroom, clad in a gold suit jacket with matching pants and heels, to face bribery and conspiracy charges stemming from four separate new indictments.
“If you were willing to pay Ms. Lewis-Martin, she was open for business,” said Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Guy Tardanico during the former senior adviser to Adams’ arraignment.
The marquee indictments unsealed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stunningly accuse Lewis-Martin and others of nefariously capitalizing on the migrant crisis, which saw the city shell out $7 billion to take care of asylum seekers.
The charges come as Adams tries to salvage his re-election campaign, which has been floundering in the wake of his controversially dismissed federal corruption case.
Adams is not implicated in the new indictments against Lewis-Martin, who has called herself his “sister ordained by God.” But the charges against his longtime friend — and an incident involving another ally, Winnie Greco, bafflingly handing a reporter a potato chip bag filled with cash Wednesday — fueled the scent of scandal surrounding his administration.
The indictments also charge Lewis-Martin’s raunchy DJ son Glen Martin II, her close pal Jesse Hamilton – a former state senator who served as the city’s deputy commissioner for real estate services — plus well-heeled sibling soundstage proprietors Gina and Tony Argento and real estate developers Tian Ji Li and Yechiel Landau.
All pleaded not guilty.
The indictments broadly cover four distinct alleged schemes:
🔴 A caper by Lewis-Martin, her son and Li to steer city contracts for migrant shelter sites to preferred property owners. She’s also accused of helping fast-track permit approvals for Li’s karaoke bar in Queens.
🔴 Lewis-Martin allegedly pushing the city Department of Transportation, at the Argentos’ behest, to walk back its street redesign of Brooklyn’s McGuinness Boulevard adding a bike lane.
🔴 Hamilton and Lewis-Martin getting home renovations after helping Landau with projects in Red Hook and The Bronx.
🔴 Lewis-Martin helping an unnamed homeowner get city Department of Buildings approval for property renovations, for which she received a mountain of seafood.
The biggest alleged cash payment came from the migrant shelter scheme.
What about the shrimp? It allegedly came with $10,000 worth of free seafood for three events at Gracie Mansion and a catered lunch for City Hall.
It may be time for Mayor Adams to go, but it is not time of Zohran Mamdani to come.
Read the whole thing here.
