NEW YORK — Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Mayor Adams’ recently resigned chief adviser, used her influence for years to expedite construction projects on behalf of two real estate moguls who in exchange gave her son $100,000 for a Porsche and invested in his business ventures, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

The bombshell indictment, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, charges Lewis-Martin; her son, Glenn Martin II; and the two businessmen, Mayank Dwivedi and Raizada “Pinky” Vaid, with conspiracy, bribery, bribe receiving and money laundering.

The $100,000 bribe was allegedly deposited into a joint bank account kept by Lewis-Martin and her son, a professional DJ known as “Suave Luciano” who then used most of the cash to buy a Porsche, prosecutors allege. Some of the cash was also spent by the mother and son on “luxury items and other personal expenses,” court papers say.

Bragg, at a press conference, called the alleged crimes “corruption at the highest level of city government” that could be summed up in three words: “Quid pro quo.”

“Lewis-Martin acted as an on-call consultant for Vaid and Dwivedi, serving at their pleasure to resolve whatever issues they had with DOB on their construction projects, and she did so without concern for security considerations and with utter and complete disregard for DOB expertise,” Bragg told reporters at his office.

Later, Lewis-Martin was led into a 15th floor Manhattan Criminal Court room in handcuffs, along with her son, Dwivedi and Vaid. All four pleaded not guilty, and were released on the conditions they surrender their passports and not take domestic trips exceeding seven days without court approval.

“Not. I am not guilty,” Lewis-Martin told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Daniel Conviser during the arraignment.

Arthur Aidala, Lewis-Martin’s lawyer, called the charges “ridiculous” after the court appearance.

“There was a business arrangement between her son and them that was totally legitimate, and Ingrid knew nothing about it, nothing,” the lawyer said of the alleged quid pro quo relationship.

The alleged scheme

Dwivedi and Vaid first met Lewis-Martin and her son in January 2022, the month Adams took office, when the top City Hall adviser invited them to Gracie Mansion “where the mayor would be meeting with foreign dignitaries,” according to the indictment.

While his mother continued to pull levers at the city Department of Buildings to get the businessmen’s real estate projects prioritized for approvals, prosecutors say Dwivedi and Vaid committed to pour money into the younger Martin’s business ventures, including a fashion line and a Chik-fil-A franchise.

Vaid and Dwivedi had multiple construction permits pending with the city’s Department of Buildings at the time of the Gracie event, and starting in November 2022, they asked Lewis-Martin to help with a rejected construction application for a hotel, Hotel on Rivington, on the Lower East Side and a stalled application for a rooftop bar called the Glass Ceiling in Midtown.

Asked whether the mayor was aware of any of his top adviser’s alleged activities, Kayla Mamelak, the mayor’s spokeswoman, said in an email: “I would refer you to DA Bragg’s own words: ‘These charges do not allege any criminal conduct by Mayor Eric Adams. The mayor is not a target of our investigation.'”

According to the indictment, on Nov. 16, 2022, Dwivedi texted Vaid about their stalled projects: “Ingrid Madam is needed.”

Lewis-Martin then allegedly asked Kazimir Vilenchik, then acting commissioner of the Buildings Department, to approve the two applications.

A few weeks later, after Vaid had asked for more approvals, Lewis-Martin emphasized the need for secrecy and told him to use Signal, an encrypted messaging app, texting him: “Please only use Signal for asks,” the indictment says.

That same day, prosecutors say Lewis-Martin asked Vilenchik for more approvals for Vaid and then sent a text to her son, telling him the businessman had committed to invest in his fashion line.

“Pinky (Vaid) has you completely covered,” Lewis-Martin wrote to her son. “You(r) fashion line is 100 percent. Call him later.”

In January 2023, the two again asked Lewis-Martin for help, and again, she reached out to Vilenchik, the indictment says.

Later on, Lewis-Martin allegedly used her son as an intermediary for her dealings with the two businessmen.

In light of the allegations, Department of Buildings spokesman Andrew Rudansky said late Thursday the agency is sending out inspectors “to conduct field inspections of both locations, and we will be conducting audits of the construction applications associated with those properties.”

A Porsche

In August 2023, Martin II received two payments of $50,000 — a cashier’s check from Dwivedi’s company and a personal check from Vaid. The son deposited the $100,000 into the joint bank account held with his mom and then transferred $50,000 to his DJ business, according to the indictment.

He then used that money to buy a Porsche, and the rest for personal expenses with his mom, according to prosecutors.

In buying the Porsche, Martin II falsely told a car dealer his father was the source of the cash for the purchase, even having someone impersonate his dad in a call with the retailer, prosecutors say.

“After purchasing the Porsche from a different dealer in Manhattan, MARTIN II sent LEWIS-MARTIN a photo of himself and ‘his father” with the car,’ prosecutors wrote in court papers. “She responded cheekily, ‘Is that your dad?'”

The alleged quid pro quo relationship continued as late as June 2024, as the son sought the real estate investors’ backing for a Chick-fil-A franchise, according to court papers.

“I’m not playing. Your sister has to be rich! I’m gonna retire,” Lewis-Martin told an unidentified associate on an intercepted June 20 phone call while discussing securing financing for her son’s Chik-fil-A franchise from the businessmen, according to the indictment.

Assistant District Attorney Guy Tardanico said in court Thursday the prosecutors would turn over the state’s wiretap evidence if defense attorneys promise it's “for attorney’s eyes only.”

Lewis-Martin is a longtime friend of Adams and one of his closest confidantes, having worked for him going back to his days as a state senator representing Brooklyn.

At City Hall, she was known as his main gatekeeper and political power broker until she abruptly resigned from her post Sunday — just hours before news broke that she would soon be facing charges. Her son is also close with Adams and refers to the mayor as his “uncle” and has performed multiple DJ sets at Gracie since he became mayor.

High-profile resignations

Lewis-Martin’s departure was the latest in a string of high-profile resignations from City Hall as Adams remains under federal indictment on charges alleging he solicited bribes and illegal campaign cash, mostly from Turkish government operatives, in exchange for political favors. He has pleaded not guilty.

Previously, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Schools Chancellor David Banks, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, senior public safety adviser Tim Pearson and Asian affairs director Winnie Greco all resigned after being ensnared in several separate federal corruption probes.

Investigators with the DA’s office seized Lewis-Martin’s phone and searched her Brooklyn home right after she returned to JFK Airport from a trip to Japan in September. Federal agents also served her with a subpoena at the airport requiring her to provide grand jury testimony and documents in the probe that resulted in Adams’ indictment.

Also in September, DA investigators seized devices from several individuals who accompanied Lewis-Martin on her Japan trip, including Jesse Hamilton, a former state senator who now manages the Adams administration’s vast real estate portfolio, and Diana Boutross, a top broker at the Cushman & Wakefield real estate firm.

The Boutross and Hamilton seizures are believed to be part of an investigation looking into possible corruption involving Lewis-Martin and the city government’s commercial real leasing sector. No one has been publicly accused of wrongdoing in connection with that inquiry.

Tardanico, the prosecutor, said in court Lewis-Martin is “subject to several ongoing investigations by this office.”

As she exited the courtroom Thursday, Lewis-Martin hugged friends in the gallery.

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