Ex top aide to NYC mayor surrenders to face charges

The former chief advisor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams surrendered on Thursday to face corruption charges in the latest blow to the administration of a mayor under indictment amid investigations into multiple aides and allies, reported Xinhua, quoting the Associated Press (AP).

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who resigned on Sunday from her role as one of the most powerful officials in City Hall, was seen entering the lower Manhattan office of District Attorney Alvin Bragg early Thursday morning, said the report.

Bragg and the commissioner of the city's watchdog Department of Investigation, Jocelyn Strauber, have scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon. The topic was not announced, but two people familiar with the matter told AP that Lewis-Martin was expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges brought by Bragg's office.

Lewis-Martin said on Monday that she was being "falsely accused" and that she had "not made any arrangements in advance to take any gifts or money, or to have any gifts or money given to a family member or friend in order for me to do my job."

The Adams administration has been roiled by criminal investigations. The mayor, a Democrat, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery in an unrelated federal case scheduled for trial next April.