Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. and Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber today announced the indictment of INGRID LEWIS-MARTIN for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes, including $50,000 in cash directed to her son’s account, in a wide-ranging series of bribery conspiracies between March 2022 and November 2024 while serving as Chief Advisor to the Mayor of the City of New York. The alleged conspiracies impacted several different city agencies. 

 

In December 2024, LEWIS-MARTIN was charged by the Office for an alleged bribery conspiracy totaling more than $100,000. The multi-year investigation alleges across five indictments that LEWIS-MARTIN accepted more than $175,000 in bribes, and other additional personal benefits.

 

LEWIS-MARTIN is newly charged in four separate conspiracy indictments with eight other co-defendants: 

 

 

LEWIS-MARTIN is charged with four counts of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, and four counts of Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree. MARTIN II is charged with two counts of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree and two counts of Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree. HAMILTON is charged with one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. The other six defendants are all charged with one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree and one count of Bribery in the Second Degree. [1] 

 

The uncharged individuals named or referenced in the indictments are not targets of the continued ongoing investigation and are not accused of participating in any of the charged conduct.

 

“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on City government,” said District Attorney Bragg. “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 and an appearance on a TV show, 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. New Yorkers are fortunate to be served by thousands of hardworking City employees who embody the dignity of public service. I thank our prosecutors and investigators for their commitment to unraveling these alleged conspiracies, and the Department of Investigation for its outstanding partnership on this ongoing matter.” 

 

DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “New York City officials and employees have a duty to serve the public fairly and equitably and the vast majority fulfill that sacred responsibility each and every day. Today’s Indictments, however, allege that the Mayor’s former Chief Advisor, at times in concert with the Deputy Commissioner for Real Estate Services in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, repeatedly and persistently abused her senior government position to enrich herself and her family.  As charged, Ingrid Lewis-Martin influenced City agency decision-making in a wide range of areas, from construction to street design, to serve the interests of co-defendants who paid her bribes.  Those bribes included, as alleged, over fifty thousand dollars in cash, home renovations, catering for Gracie Mansion events, and a personal appearance in a TV series.  In light of today’s charges, DOI is notifying the relevant agencies and requesting a review of the permits and design determinations described in the Indictments, so that each agency can review these decisions free of any improper influence. This investigation is ongoing, and City employees and members of the public who suspect fraud or corruption may report it to DOI at (212) 825-5959.”

 

 

According to court documents and statements made on the record, LEWIS-MARTIN allegedly directed City Hall and DCAS to steer contracts for asylum seeker shelters to developer TIAN JI LI’s preferred property owners. As part of the arrangement with the property owners, LI would allegedly receive 10 percent from the contract. 

 

In February 2023, one of LI’s associates entered a New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (“HHC”) agreement to provide housing for asylum seekers. LI received $1.2 million from the contract. 

 

LI then allegedly transferred some of the money he received from the HHC contract to his business, V SHOW INC. (V SHOW). V SHOW then allegedly wired $50,000 to MARTIN II’s business account.

 

LEWIS-MARTIN pushed to have that HHC agreement renewed or picked up by another agency. LEWIS-MARTIN allegedly contacted and urged high-ranking officials from City Hall, the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations (“OASO”), DCAS, the New York City Department of Social Services (“DSS”), and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (“MOCJ”) to secure shelter services contracts for LI’s preferred property owner. 

 

In one instance, she called HAMILTON, who is charged in a separate indictment, and said, “I need those done…whatever site TJ wants, I need him to get them. Because that’s our f****** people.” 

 

By August 2024, LI and his representatives were allegedly communicating directly with HAMILTON about securing a contract to provide shelter services at a second hotel for the preferred property owner. When a City Hall employee flagged an issue with the site, LEWIS-MARTIN pushed back and said in a conference call, “Move that s*** forward unless the Mayor tells us otherwise.” 

 

In September 2024, LEWIS-MARTIN, LI, HAMILTON, and others took a personal trip together to Japan. During the return flight on September 27, 2024, LI deleted text messages in his phone between him and LEWIS-MARTIN, and between him and HAMILTON. Search warrants for cellphones belonging to LEWIS-MARTIN, LI, MARTIN II, and HAMILTON were executed the same day. In November 2024, after a more substantive review by career public servants with relevant expertise, the second hotel was removed from consideration. 

 

Additionally, starting in October 2022, LEWIS-MARTIN allegedly helped fast-track New York City Department of Buildings (“DOB”) and New York City Fire Department (“FDNY”) approval for V SHOW, a karaoke bar being developed by LI. At one point, LEWIS-MARTIN told the FDNY Commissioner in a text, “This is an 11th hour. I sent this info on a prior occasion. Whoever responded made an error. Please have a different set of eyes review the Plan.” 

 

As a result of LEWIS-MARTIN’s continued pressuring of FDNY and DOB officials, V SHOW received the required approvals within an expedited timeframe, often weeks ahead of schedule. 

 

MARTIN II allegedly helped LEWIS-MARTIN coordinate these conspiracies so she could remain insulated, often acting as an intermediary between his mother and LI. LI also allegedly hosted numerous parties for LEWIS-MARTIN at V SHOW.

 

 

According to court documents and statements made on the record, between March 2022 and November 2024, LEWIS-MARTIN allegedly interfered with DOT’s plan to redesign and install protected bike lanes on McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn, a key road used by BROADWAY STAGES, LTD. LEWIS-MARTIN conspired with its owners, GINA ARGENTO and ANTHONY “TONY” ARGENTO, to successfully change DOT’s plan. The ARGENTOS generally opposed any plan that would remove lanes of traffic or reduce vehicle traffic around BROADWAY STAGES. 

 

LEWIS-MARTIN designated an employee from the Mayor’s Office to be her representative with DOT instructed the DOT Commissioner that she and that individual should be part of any discussions about DOT’s plans for McGuinness Boulevard. LEWIS-MARTIN also directed that individual to discuss DOT’s plans with the ARGENTOS, and, in turn, to relay their views and concerns to DOT. Due to her intervention, DOT changed its plan for the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard. 

 

In exchange, GINA ARGENTO allegedly transferred $2500 to LEWIS-MARTIN’s bank account and provided over $10,000 in catering services for a Gracie Mansion event. 

 

In addition, the ARGENTOS allegedly secured a speaking role for LEWIS-MARTIN on the TV series “Godfather of Harlem,” which was filmed at BROADWAY STAGES. LEWIS-MARTIN was paid more than $800 for her appearance in the show, which also made her eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild. TONY ARGENTO also allegedly promised to be her “agent” and get her other roles on Godfather of Harlem and the TV series “Blue Bloods.”

 

 

According to court documents and statements made on the record, LEWIS-MARTIN, MARTIN II, and HAMILTON allegedly conspired to promote and push projects in Red Hook, Brooklyn, at 1211 Southern Boulevard, in the Bronx, and in Jamaica, Queens, all on behalf of real estate developer YECHIEL LANDAU. 

 

LEWIS-MARTIN introduced LANDAU to the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce and the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) to assist with the Red Hook project. 

 

In one instance, LANDAU told LEWIS-MARTIN and MARTIN II over Signal that an HPD representative “was giving push back” on the closing date for the project. LEWIS-MARTIN later asked the Deputy Mayor to call her. LEWIS-MARTIN also consistently pressured the HPD Commissioner to approve the project. 

 

LEWIS-MARTIN went so far as to engage directly with LANDAU’s representatives on the Red Hook Project by attending private meetings and phone calls without HPD or other City Hall officials present. LEWIS-MARTIN’s persistent pressure on behalf of LANDAU was successful: the first phase of the Red Hook project closed in December 2024. At any given time, hundreds of projects are in HPD’s pipeline, but only a few are able to close each calendar year. 

 

LEWIS-MARTIN also allegedly intervened to promote another LANDAU property at 1211 Southern Boulevard, which was previously subsidized by HPD and the New York City Housing Development Corporation (“HDC”). LANDAU sought and, with LEWIS-MARTIN’s help, received consent from HPD to “buy out” an original investor on the property. 

 

LANDAU received HPD’s consent to buy out 1211 Southern Boulevard. This occurred before HPD even had a project manager assigned to work with LANDAU on preserving the building as affordable housing. 

 

LANDAU also allegedly sought LEWIS-MARTIN’s assistance to obtain a City contract for a building located in Jamaica, Queens, owned by one of LANDAU’s business partners. LEWIS-MARTIN instructed HAMILTON use his authority at DCAS to work with LANDAU and a representative of the Jamaica building to try to secure a leasing agreement for the City to use the building as shelter for asylum seekers. At one point, LANDAU told the building representative that he gave HAMILTON “instructions for his deputy [to] get on it right now.” 

 

MARTIN II allegedly interfaced with LANDAU and helped facilitate the conspiracy to insulate LEWIS-MARTIN. 

 

In exchange, LANDAU allegedly paid for over $5000 worth of renovations at a property LEWIS-MARTIN owns, including the cost of an electrical permit, and at HAMILTON’s residence to create a living space for LEWIS-MARTIN’s sister, including painting and garbage removal.

 

 

According to court documents and statements made on the record, LEWIS-MARTIN also allegedly conspired with an individual to get DOB approval of certain renovations of a residential property in exchange for thousands of dollars of catering for events at Gracie Mansion and City Hall. 

 

LEWIS-MARTIN personally forwarded the individual’s requests to the DOB Commissioner, gave the individual and his architect the Commissioner’s contact information, and successfully had a new plan examiner assigned to the project. At one point, LEWIS-MARTIN called the individual and said, “I’m checking in. Is it better now?”  The individual responded “They gave it to a new examiner.” 

 

The renovation plans were eventually approved. 

 

In exchange, the individual allegedly provided free food on four different occasions for events at Gracie Mansion and City Hall, including shrimp, crab cakes, salmon and octopus, totaling almost $10,000. 

 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant D.A.s Guy Tardanico, Denise Vasel, Hannah Perlman and Kenneth Moore, under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Christopher Conroy (Chief of the Rackets Bureau), Christopher Beard (Deputy Chief of the Rackets Bureau), Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division), and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division). Investigators Jacob Diamond, Gerald Bergold, Genesis Cornielle, Genesis De Luna, Daniel Frooks, Robert Mistretta; lead Investigator Alex Cinque; Supervising Investigator Patrick O’Brien; Trial Preparation Assistants Lauren Fromkin, Meghan Lannon, Andrew Glass, Julien Zeman; Senior Investigative Analyst Erin Jengo-Quirk; Discovery Analyst Robert Woolf; HTAU Analyst Boris Vestfrid; Forensic Accountant Investigator Regina Lau; Financial Investigator Michael Losi; ADA’s Caroline Serino, Amy Sharpe, Beth Potashnick; and Data Specialist Olivia Savell are all assisting with the case. Former Trial Preparation Assistants Samatha Becker, Sara Scanlan, and Alex Millard also assisted with the case. 

 

At DOI, the investigation was conducted by Deputy Inspectors General Alexander Cane and Jordan Buff, Assistant Inspector General Emily Caswell, Special Investigators Eliel Mizrahi, Sadhbh Harding, Paola Contreras, and Heather Smith, Confidential Investigator Olivia Tonge, Senior Investigative Auditors Olga Avram and Yonghe Chen, and Investigative Attorney Edward Pruette, with assistance from Assistant Inspector General Jeffrey Freeman, Special Investigators Victoria Bosah and Alexander Dillon, and Investigative Attorney Jasmine Joshi, under the supervision of Inspectors General Andrew Sein, Michael Morris, and Kathryn Spota, and under the overall supervision of Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Initiatives Christopher Ryan and Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Investigations Dominick Zarrella. 

 

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[1] The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.