Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Mayor Eric Adams’ chief advisor, subpoenaed in federal investigation

NEW YORK — Federal agents subpoenaed Ingrid Lewis-Martin, chief advisor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and seized her phone in the latest incident involving a member of the mayor’s inner circle.

Lewis-Martin was served with a subpoena from the Southern District of New York as she returned from a vacation in Japan on Friday — the same day Adams entered a not guilty plea on federal bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy charges. 

She has been with Adams since he was a state senator in Brooklyn and is frequently seen by his side. 

“She will cooperate fully with any and all investigations,” her attorney Arthur Aidala said, adding she “is not the target of any case of which we are aware.”

Lewis-Martin later spoke on her attorney’s radio show.

“I don’t know anything. I’ve done nothing and I don’t think there is anything to know,” Lewis-Martin said. “None of us are perfect. We are far from perfect because we are human beings. We are imperfect, but we are not thieves.”

Will Mayor Adams remain in office?

Some are questioning how long the mayor can stay in his job during the ongoing federal probes. 

“Until we hear from the mayor in terms of his response to the charges in the indictment, I don’t think that anybody knows what his survival prospects are. I think we all hope the best for him, for our city,” Kathryn Wylde of the Partnership for New York City said. 

Adams went about the business of being mayor Friday, including a visit to a Harlem senior center. 

There’s much speculation about how long he’d remain in office, and whether Gov. Kathy Hochul would remove him. 

“I think the governor, the mayor’s decisions, the feelings of the business of the community are, if the city is staying stable while the mayor goes through what he’s going through, I think we’re OK. If things fall apart, we’ve got a problem,” Wylde said. 

“He has to say ‘Can I do my job?'”

Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. She called on Adams to show the city he can still keep the city safe and deliver services. Sources told CBS News New York it was a “warning shot” that the mayor needs to clean house and show he can regain the trust of the people. 

“It comes down to whether you can actually fulfill your job responsibilities, and that’s a question the mayor’s going to have to answer. But he has to be reflective about it. He has to say ‘Can I do my job,'” United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew said. “We’re talking only at this point about one investigation. There are still three others. So, you know, if you can’t fulfill your responsibility, and I’m hoping that he understands that, as an elected official, that responsibility comes way before you own self thoughts.” 

With the list of administration officials having their phones seized growing by the day, the big question may be: Who’s next?

Marcia Kramer

Marcia Kramer joined CBS News New York in 1990 as an investigative and political reporter. Prior to CBS2, she was the City Hall bureau chief at the New York Daily News.