Federal authorities served Ingrid Lewis-Martin, one of Mayor Eric Adams’s closest aides, with a subpoena as soon as she landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport after returning from a vacation to Japan, her lawyer confirmed to THE CITY. 

Her lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said Lewis-Martin also handed over her phones to representatives from the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. A spokesperson for Bragg’s office declined to comment.

Brick house sits with 10 police on the front porch and stairway.
Police raid the home of Ingrid Lewis-Martin on Troy Avenue in Brooklyn. Credit: Obtained by THE CITY

Lewis-Martin’s home on Troy Avenue in Brooklyn was also served with a federal search warrant and raided by FBI agents and the city’s Department of Investigation, sources told THE CITY. 

“She will cooperate fully with any and all investigations and Ms. Lewis is not the target of any case of which we are aware,” Aidala said in a statement. 

In a live radio interview with Aidala Friday evening, Lewis-Martin described the federal investigators who confiscated her phone as “perfectly gentlemanly” adding they also served her with a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury. She maintained she and the mayor had nothing to hide.

“We’re human beings. We are imperfect, but we are not thieves,” she said.

“And I do believe that in the end 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 DAs office to investigate us.”

“I don’t know anything. I’ve done nothing and I don’t think there’s anything to know,” she added. 

Lewis-Martin returned from Japan with Jesse Hamilton, a longtime Adams ally and friend who is the deputy commissioner for real estate services within the Department of Citywide istrative Services, Aidala confirmed. It’s unclear if Hamilton also received a subpoena. 

News of the raid on Lewis-Martin came amid a battering few days for Adams, who pleaded not guilty on five corruption counts in a federal courtroom Friday afternoon

The 57-page indictment unsealed a day earlier accused him of accepting campaign donations and lavish flight upgrades from Turkish nationals in exchange for favors. Adams has promised to fight the charges and said he doesn’t plan to resign. 

The indictment and raid of Lewis-Martin’s home Friday, came three weeks after other of Adams inner circle faced similar raids and had their electronics confiscated including former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, her partner the Schools Chancellor David Banks and Tim Pearson, the mayor’s senior public safety advisor. 

The weeks since have been marked by turmoil for the Adams istration, with Caban’s resignation, as well as that of mayor’s chief counsel Lisa Zornberg who reportedly quit after Adams ignored her advice to fire Pearson. 

Schools Chancellor Banks and the Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan both announced they plan to leave at the end of the year. 

Lewis-Martin was on vacation in Japan over the last two weeks, she told THE CITY. At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Mayor Adams addressed her absence and brushed off any idea she might be leaving. 

“I am hoping she’s having fun. And I am not annoying her at all. And when she texts me, I say, Ingrid, enjoy your vacation,” he said. “We got this.”

Katie is a reporter for THE CITY and co-host of FAQ NYC podcast.

Greg is an award-winning investigative reporter at THE CITY with a special focus on corruption and the city's public housing system.

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