A Manhattan grand jury has convened and is said to be hearing evidence about potential corruption by Mayor Eric Adams' longtime senior adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who submitted her resignation from City Hall on Sunday.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed the grand jury development hours after news broke of Lewis-Martin's sudden departure as a longtime adviser to Adams.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin ended her tenure Sunday, a couple months after receiving federal subpoenas upon landing back in New York City from a vacation to Japan. Her departure was first reported by Politico.
Her attorney, Arthur Aidala, is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday.
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In September, as Adams found himself indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges, Lewis-Martin had her phones seized and home searched, adding her name to the list of top officials in the mayor's administration involved in ongoing federal probes. Lewis-Martin has not been charged in any of the active city or federal investigations.
Hours after the search, Lewis-Martin took the extraordinary step of appearing on Aidala's radio show to discuss the investigation, telling her attorney, “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's office to investigate us.”
Lewis-Martin has been one of the mayor’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, working under Adams in prominent positions throughout his political career — when he was a state senator, Brooklyn borough president and mayor. She has said she first met Adams about four decades ago, when Adams and her husband, Glenn Martin, were in the New York City police academy.
Lewis-Martin's exit marks the latest in a string of big name departures since federal investigators began looking into the mayor. Her resignation comes after that of former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, senior adviser Timothy Pearson, first deputy mayor Sheena Wright, and David and Phil Banks, schools chancellor and deputy mayor for public safety, respectively.
In a statement obtained by NBC New York, Lewis-Martin thanked the mayor for their years of friendship and work in the city, and said her decision to step down was motivated by family.
“To my political partner, brother, and friend, Mayor Eric Adams: I thank you for seeking me out, way back in 2004, and asking me to run your Senate campaign. I thank you for seeing in me things that I did not see in myself. I extend humble gratitude to you for encouraging me to be my authentic self and for having my back during some trying times. As you would say, this has been a good ride; I will use author’s license and say that this has been an amazing ride.
“Now, today, the time has come for me to focus on my wonderful family and myself and retire.”
Adams called Lewis-Martin a "sister," and said every New Yorker owes "her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city."
Lewis-Martin's resignation is effective as of Sunday.
