Home of Mayor Adams’ chief advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin raided: sources

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Investigators raided the home of Mayor Eric Adams' chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, on Friday, law enforcement sources said.

Investigators took electronic devices from Lewis-Martin's home in Brooklyn, sources said. Lewis-Martin also had her phones seized by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office at John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday morning when she arrived back to New York City from Japan, according to sources.

"Ingrid Lewis Martin has been served with a subpoena from the Southern District of New York and her phones were given to the New York County District Attorney’s Office. She will cooperate fully with any and all investigations and Ms. Lewis is not the target of any case of which we are aware," said Arthur Aidala, the attorney for Lewis-Martin.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the nature of the investigation. The Southern District of New York also declined to comment.

Lewis-Martin was not home at the time of the raid, but members of her family were, sources said.

It came the same day Adams pleaded not guilty in court to federal charges.

A federal indictment unsealed Thursday charged Adams with bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy offenses. He is accused of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources stemming from his 2021 mayoral campaign.

The investigation into Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign fundraising became widely known in November 2023. That’s when FBI agents searched the home of Brianna Suggs, who was a fundraiser for Adams during his 2021 campaign, and Rana Abbasova, who worked in the mayor's international affairs office. Four days later, FBI agents seized phones and an iPad from Adams as he was leaving a public event in Manhattan.

Prosecutors accuse the mayor of accepting illegal campaign donations as early as his time as Brooklyn borough president. Adams allegedly sought and knowingly accepted money from foreign donors, including Turkish government officials, prosecutors contend.

Adams allegedly accepted well over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits, including business class flights and opulent hotel rooms, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. The donations came in via “straw donors,” or cover-up U.S. donors acting on behalf of a foreign government. Then, Adams allegedly stole public funds by using the illegal campaign donations to manipulate New York City’s matching funds program, according to the indictment.

Adams “compromised his integrity” and gave foreign nationals “undue influence over him” by accepting personal benefits and illegal donations, according to Jocelyn Strauber, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation.

This “undue influence” allegedly led Adams to pressure the FDNY to facilitate the opening of a Turkish-owned skyscraper in Manhattan that hadn’t passed a fire inspection, according to the indictment.

A trail of bogus texts and small cover-up payments also allegedly showed Adams’ attempts to hide the fancy trips and illegal campaign donations he received, prosecutors said.

“By allegedly taking improper and illegal benefits from foreign nationals — including to allow a Manhattan skyscraper to open without a fire inspection — Adams put the interests of his benefactors, including a foreign official, above those of his constituents,” said Williams, the U.S. attorney.

Adams said he is innocent and has vowed to fight the charges. He also said he does not plan to resign.

“From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of the city,” Adams said Thursday. “My day-to-day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.