New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Left: Photo by Andrea Renault/Star Max/GC Image, Right: Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
The fresh corruption-related allegations follow an incident Wednesday, when, according to local New York City paper The City, one of Adams' aides, who has since been suspended, allegedly attempted to give money to one of their reporters hidden inside a bag of potato chips. The now-suspended Adams adviser, Winnie Greco, later called the move a "mistake," according to The City.
Meanwhile, the indictments levied Thursday alleged a former chief adviser to Adams, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who resigned in 2024 amid other accusations related to a different pay-to-play scheme, received $75,000 in bribes between March 2022 and November 2024.
Among the bribes was a $50,000 cash payment "diverted from a City contract and other benefits" that was directed to her son's bank account, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Other allegations laid out in the indictments include improper steering of government contracts and policy decisions that were spurred by monetary incentives.
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"We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on City government," said District Attorney Alvin Bragg. "As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets."
New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa. (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Cuomo, who has not been the subject of any major bribery scandals himself, did resign from his position as governor amid numerous sexual assault allegations in 2021. He called the latest incidents involving Adams and his confidants "sad," "embarrassing," and "depressing."
"We were talking about how people feel frustrated with government, and alienated from government, and that government isn't working for them. And then, there seems to be this never-ending series of government corruption that just continues," Cuomo said Thursday. "And it's sad, it's embarrassing, it's depressing. And then you wonder why people don't believe in government."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Adams' campaign for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-top-adams-adviser-donors-charged-bribery-case-cuomo-mocks-chips-stunt