| | | | |  | | By Jason Beeferman | | Presented by |  | | | |  Ingrid Lewis-Martin, once a top aide to Mayor Eric Adams, was indicted today for her role in an alleged bribery scheme. | AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson | ERIC ADAMS’ ‘SISTER ORDAINED BY GOD’ MEETS ALVIN BRAGG: The charges against Mayor Eric Adams’ former top aide and sister-by-providence were simple. “They can be summarized in three words,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said of the charges. “Quid pro quo.” Speaking from his downtown office, Bragg laid out how Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams' decadeslong confidant, “sister ordained by God” and former No. 2 in his administration allegedly sold influence in City Hall. Her price, Bragg alleges, was $100,000 — money that sat in a joint bank account for her and her son, Glenn Martin II, that he later used to buy himself a brand new Porsche, pictured here. In return, Lewis-Martin repeatedly intervened to help out the two developers who made the payments — expediting or approving construction permits with the Department of Buildings at their behest, Bragg alleged. The developers also allegedly provided Lewis-Martin’s son help with setting up a Chick-fil-A franchise. And Lewis-Martin anticipated assistance for her son’s fashion business from one of the builders. “Lewis-Martin engaged in a long-running bribery, money laundering and conspiracy scheme by using her position of authority as the chief advisor to the New York City Mayor, the second highest position in city government, to illegally influence city decisions in exchange for in excess of $100,000 in cash and other benefits for herself and her son,” Bragg said. Along the way, he said, she covered up her tracks. The charges and investigation, Bragg made clear, have nothing to do with Adams. Officers escorted a handcuffed Lewis-Martin into a Manhattan criminal courtroom for her arraignment, less than an hour after Bragg’s remarks. She and the other three individuals charged pleaded not guilty. “The District Attorney’s office’s interpretation of these facts will make no sense to any New York jury,” Lewis-Martin’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said in a statement. “To think that a high ranking city official would take a bribe in the form of a check deposited into their own bank account defies common sense. We look forward to the citizens of the city of New York, who Ingrid has served so admirably for decades, clearing her name after a trial.” The unsealing of the indictment against Lewis-Martin comes as Bragg has found himself in the midst of a trifecta of high-profile cases that have borne out climactic starts and finishes all within the last two weeks. First, his office absorbed a dramatic loss last Monday as Manhattan prosecutors failed to convict ex-marine Daniel Penny of manslaughter for the death of Jordan Neely. That same day, Bragg faced the nation’s spotlight as he prepared murder charges against alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione. Now, Bragg zooms into the confines of City Hall as he prosecutes yet another corruption case against an Adams administration that is the subject of multiple federal and city investigations involving allegations of bribes, kickbacks and favors. The mayor himself faces trial in April, after a judge denied his request for dismissal of a federal bribery charge on Tuesday. He has pleaded not guilty to the five counts. “Today's indictment alleges and portrays a clear picture: You do this for me, and I will do that for you,” Bragg said. “It was not what is in the best interest of the city of New York. It was for the best interest of the defendants. That is a disservice to New Yorkers.” — Jason Beeferman More coverage of the charges against Lewis-Martin can be found here. The full text of the indictment can be read here.
| | | | A message from Uber: Study Reveals Uber Drivers Make More than EMTs: NYC Uber drivers now earn an average of $52,900 annually after expenses, outpacing the salaries of many essential city employees, including EMTs and sanitation workers. Despite delivering vital services, these workers struggle with stagnant wages while Uber drivers have benefited from five TLC-mandated pay hikes since 2020. Read more on the wage disparity impacting NYC’s workforce. Learn More. | | | |  | From the Capitol | | |  Gov. Kathy Hochul boasted her "Inflation Refund" checks at Queens Center shopping mall today. | Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | HOCHUL SHOPS IN SECRET: Gov. Kathy Hochul was at a Queens shopping mall to promote her “Inflation Refund” checks two days after a furious advocate confronted her at a shopping mall on Tuesday. But this time she kept her location a secret from the public — an apparent effort to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing altercation at Albany’s Crossgates Mall earlier this week. “I understand why she did what she did, there's a lot of passion, but ultimately when this all shakes out, people will know who I was fighting for,” Hochul said, reflecting on the incident, in which home care advocate Julie Farrar excoriated the governor on her move to make major changes to the state’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. During the Tuesday exchange, Hochul responded to Farrar, who was in a wheelchair, by telling her, “You’re being lied to.” “I understand there's been a long, sustained campaign filled with lies, and I understand that people believe that, but there's no way I'm going to hurt these people,” the governor added. “It is unfortunate that the message of my true objective has been overshadowed by those middlemen who will go to any extreme to create a disinformation campaign against it.” She spoke to Playbook from the second floor of the Queens Center shopping mall, a location that was revealed to reporters only upon RSVP this time. Throughout her time strolling the mall, the governor stopped for pictures with bewildered shoppers and handed out flyers with information about the “Inflation Refund” checks. She also picked up a miniature Hello Kitty handbag and some pink mittens for her granddaughter. “Is that the senator?” one exasperated passerby asked Playbook. Another referred to her directly as “Mayor,” and even more appeared not to know who she was. But some relished the opportunity to meet the governor — pulling her in with tears in their eyes as they told her their struggles, or lining up sheepishly for a selfie and a big hug. “Next year you’ll have at least 300 more dollars in your pocket,” she enthusiastically told one shopper. — Jason Beeferman
| | | | You read POLITICO for trusted reporting. Now follow every twist of the lame duck session with Inside Congress. We track the committee meetings, hallway conversations, and leadership signals that show where crucial year-end deals are heading. Subscribe now. | | | | | CUOMO’S NOTICE: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo took an initial step toward suing former aide Charlotte Bennett for defamation — extending a legal drama as he considers a potential political comeback. Bennett last week dropped her federal lawsuit against the former governor. She’s one of the 11 women included in a bombshell report released by Attorney General Letitia James that determined Cuomo sexually harassed them — findings Cuomo has denied. Cuomo’s notice of claim, filed this morning in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, signaled he will seek compensatory and punitive damages from Bennett, who is accused of “false allegations materially (that) contributed to a cascade of harm to Governor Cuomo.” Bennett was one of the first women to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. At the time the governor was a nationally prominent political celebrity for his handling of Covid. In the filing, Cuomo asserted Bennett has tried to limit evidentiary disclosure the former governor’s legal team believes could cast doubt on her story. “Bennett enjoyed the media spotlight and she and her agents gave numerous public interviews, including on national television broadcasts, repeating her false claims,” the filing stated. “From day one, Governor Cuomo denied ever having sexually harassed Bennett (or anyone else).” Cuomo initially apologized in March 2021 to Bennett. He insisted he never touched anyone, but said he supported a woman’s right to “come forward.” “I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,” Cuomo said. “It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it.” Debra Katz, an attorney for Bennett, blasted the suit in a statement to Playbook. “This case has no merit,” Katz said. “There is a long history of using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment. It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has apparently now chosen to go down that path.” — Nick Reisman
| | | | POLITICO Pro's unique analysis combines exclusive transition intelligence and data visualization to help you understand not just what's changing, but why it matters for your organization. Explore how POLITICO Pro will make a difference for you. | | | | | | | From City Hall | | | | 
The vote to in favor of a strike intensifies the doctors’ two-year fight for a contract to address understaffing across the city-run health system. | AP Photo | STRIKE WATCH: A group of 2,500 NYC Health + Hospitals doctors voted overwhelmingly in favor of a work stoppage “if needed,” their union announced Thursday. It’s unclear if and when the members of Doctors Council SEIU would go on strike. For now, their vote intensifies the doctors’ two-year fight for a contract to address understaffing across the city-run health system. This past summer, Health + Hospitals decided to slash appointment times for new patients to tackle long waitlists, a move first reported by POLITICO. “New York City should ensure that all New Yorkers have access to high-quality health care,” Frances Quee, a Health + Hospitals pediatrician and president of Doctors Council SEIU, said in a statement. “As a physician, I understand the tough choices my colleagues face regarding potential job actions, but we are united in our commitment to our patients.” While New York public-sector workers are prohibited from striking, these doctors are technically employed by private-sector affiliates of NYC Health + Hospitals, including Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. They are not covered under a tentative Doctors Council SEIU contract agreement touted earlier this week by City Hall, which only covers 500 city doctors and medical examiners. — Maya Kaufman BLUE BLOODS GET NEW BLOOD: The NYPD today announced a slate of new leadership as part of a remaking of the department under new Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Delaney Kempner, director of communications for Attorney General Letitia James, will serve as Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Kempner has never worn an NYPD uniform, and will take over the job from Tarik Sheppard, who has been with the police force for over two decades. The slew of new appointments comes after Tisch’s predecessor, Edward Caban, had his phone seized as part of a federal investigation into his twin brother, who ran a security and protection business for nightclubs and bars. At least one individual has come forward alleging that business overlapped with an undercover extortion racket carried out by the NYPD. The police force has faced increased scrutiny recently, as top cops have taken to social media to spar with reporters and elected officials. That rhetoric has bubbled beyond the web, with Chief of Patrol John Chell calling one reporter a “fucking scumbag.” New deputy commissioners for management and budget, information technology, strategic initiatives and support services were also named. “New Yorkers should have every confidence that these appointments make their police department stronger, our service better, and our city safer,” Tisch said in a statement. — Jason Beeferman
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | — ADAMS ESCORTS MANGIONE: Mayor Eric Adams and a swarm of police officers escorted CEO murderer Luigi Mangione off a New York City helipad after he arrived from Pennsylvania. (Sky News) — MENTHOL BAN: The push to ban the flavored cigarettes in New York City is alive again. (POLITICO Pro) — MOLINARO’S GOODBYE: Upstate Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro is promising a future in public service on his way out the door. (Spectrum News) — WH PRESS SEC ON LI: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre received the key to the Village of Hempstead in a Long Island homecoming. (NY1) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
| | | | A message from Uber: Study Shows Uber Drivers making over $52k while NYC Heroes Get Left Behind
A new study reveals a growing wage divide in New York City: Uber drivers are making an average of $52,900 a year after expenses, while city employees like EMTs and sanitation workers starting salaries are below $44,000. Since 2020, rideshare drivers have received five pay increases through TLC mandates while many frontline city workers face stagnant wages amid rising living costs. This gap underscores an evolving dynamic in NYC’s workforce, where gig workers see consistent earnings growth while essential city roles lag behind. This pay disparity is raising questions about the city’s priorities and the need for equitable wages in public service amidst the affordability crisis.
Read the full story to see how gig work earnings are reshaping NYC’s labor landscape. Learn More. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
