The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has opened an investigation into City Hall’s leasing of commercial properties tied to possible bribery, according to a report.
The latest probe, elements of which had previously been reported, marks the fifth criminal investigation surrounding Mayor Eric Adams and his close allies.
As part of the Manhattan DA’s inquiry, Adams’ right-hand woman, his chief advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, had her phone seized by authorities as she stepped off a plane at JFK Airport following a trip to Japan last month.
The Post and other media outlets reported on the phone seizure, though the details of the investigation were not known at the time.
Prosecutors are investigating possible bribery, money laundering and other crimes as part of the probe, sources have since told the New York Times.
Investigators also seized the phones of four others in addition to Adams’ chief advisor including a top city real estate official, Jesse Hamilton, and a private broker involved in city leases, Diana Boutross, the newspaper reported Wednesday.
The group was all returning from a trip to Japan together and had their devices seized at JFK Airport on Sept. 27, according to sources. Lewis-Martin and Boutross have long been close friends.
The investigators with the DA’s office also searched Lewis-Martin’s home and removed documents and electronic devices. Around the same time, she was served with a grand jury subpoena by federal officials investigating the mayor’s dealings with Turkish officials.
Adams was indicted in the second probe.
“We are imperfect, but we’re not thieves, and I do believe that in the end, that the New York City public will see that we have not done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the DA office to investigate us,” the top Adams aide previously said.
Her lawyer dismissed any allegations of misconduct.
“These searches and any negative connotations associated with them or this preplanned vacation are baseless,” attorney Arthur Aidala said in a statement to the Times.
“Ingrid Lewis-Martin has conducted herself at the highest level of ethical standards while serving this city, and in due time all the facts will come out and will be supported by evidence and demonstrate everything was done properly.”
Adams’ inner circle faces five investigations total — one from the Manhattan DA, one from the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York and three from the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
