Administration of Adams emphasized on taking action swiftly. Allegedly, this efficiency came at a cost, according to legal authorities.

In a series of indictments, four charges have been handed up against two members of Mayor Eric Adams' inner circle: Ingrid Lewis-Martin and Jesse Hamilton. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has accused Lewis-Martin of "engaging in classic bribery conspiracies," while Hamilton is accused of taking bribes in exchange for helping businesspeople steer lucrative contracts, speed up development approvals, and temporarily kill a street redesign plan.

Lewis-Martin is alleged to have steered migrant shelter contracts to hotel owners referred by developer Tian Ji Li, in exchange for at least $50,000 funneled to her son, Glenn Martin II, and parties hosted for her. Similarly, Hamilton is accused of nabbing his own free home upgrades, according to prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office.

The indictments against Lewis-Martin mirror those from last year, when she was accused of pressuring city officials to approve changes to a bar and hotel owned by another pair of developers. Prosecutors alleged that the developer, Tolib Mansurov, had also funneled $10,000 in illegal contributions to Adams' mayoral campaign.

Lewis-Martin is also accused of pressuring the housing agency to approve an agreement that allowed Yechiel Landau to take sole ownership of another city-funded development near the Bronx's Crotona Park. Landau closed on the Red Hook project in December 2023 and construction on the 371-unit building was well underway when the website visited Thursday.

The indictments describe how Lewis-Martin pressured top officials from the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development to usher a Red Hook affordable housing project to the front of a notoriously backlogged pipeline on behalf of the project's developer, Yechiel Landau.

The Department of Justice dropped the case against Adams, arguing it would interfere with his ability to assist the federal government’s mass deportation efforts. However, Adams himself has faced charges of accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions in exchange for pressuring former Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro to approve fire safety systems at a Turkish consulate building. Nearly two years have passed since Adams' former Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich was indicted for trading favors in exchange for $150,000 in gifts from a developer and other associates. Ulrich has pleaded not guilty and is still awaiting trial.

Columbia Law School professor Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor, stated that real estate is often at the heart of local bribery schemes because any red tape costs owners and developers time and money. Emails obtained by the website in 2023 showed how City Hall instructed inspectors to fast-track fire safety inspections for elite developers and wealthy donors, even if it meant cancelling scheduled inspections at other locations.

All the accused have pleaded not guilty. The Department of Buildings lifted a partial stop-work order at a stalled condo project in Brooklyn shortly after the developer appealed directly to Adams for assistance. The search results do not provide any information on specific indictments or accusations detailing corruption related to Mayor Eric Adams' office.

Administration of Adams emphasized on taking action swiftly. Allegedly, this efficiency came at a cost, according to legal authorities.