Diamond Earrings, Alleged Risks Deepen Lewis-Martin Case

What began as a corruption case about favors for developers is veering into darker territory for Ingrid Lewis-Martin, once Mayor Eric Adams’ closest political ally.

Court filings from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg allege Lewis-Martin accepted diamond earrings and other perks from developers while pressuring the Department of Buildings to push through hotel and nightlife projects, The City reported, even as senior DOB officials warned of unresolved safety issues.

The filings suggest her interventions may have overridden concerns about fire egress and occupancy at a Lower East Side hotel and a rooftop bar project.

The documents were filed Tuesday as prosecutors responded to motions by Lewis-Martin’s lawyers seeking to dismiss the case. They add fresh allegations to two existing indictments that accuse Lewis-Martin of bribery and money laundering, alleging she abused her position as the mayor’s chief advisor to make regulatory problems disappear for politically connected developers.

Among the latest claims, prosecutors say Lewis-Martin accepted a pair of two-carat diamond earrings worth about $3,000 from developers Raizada “Pinky” Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi at the start of the Adams administration. In return, she allegedly leaned on city agencies to fast-track approvals for projects including the Hotel Rivington and a rooftop bar called the Glass Ceiling.

Potentially more explosive for City Hall and the real estate industry is the allegation that DOB officials internally raised red flags about safety. A top buildings official warned that the hotel renovation Lewis-Martin was pushing forward lacked critical information about occupancy load and whether the building had adequate fire egress, according to the filings.

Despite those concerns, Lewis-Martin repeatedly pressed then-acting DOB Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik to move the project along.

Emails cited by prosecutors show DOB staff expressing unease that Lewis-Martin was trying to “circumvent the process.” In one instance, after Lewis-Martin texted that a project needed to be moved forward, a new plan examiner was assigned within an hour. Permits soon followed.

Lewis-Martin resigned in December 2024, days before her first indictment was unsealed.

Prosecutors accused her of steering $100,000 from the same developers into a joint account she shared with her son, funds later used to buy a Porsche. Other alleged benefits include cash, free catering at Gracie Mansion events and a speaking role on the TV series “Godfather of Harlem,” tied to a separate scheme involving pressure on DOT over a contested bike lane.

Her attorney, Arthur Aidala, dismissed Bragg’s latest filing as overreach, calling it a “desperate” response.

— Holden Walter-Warner