NYC NOW - Midday News: Former Adams Advisor Faces New Conspiracy and Bribery Indictments, It’s Almost Tennis Time in Queens, and We Meet a Few Young Inventors in Brooklyn

Episode Date: August 22, 2025

Mayor Adams' former chief adviser is facing four new conspiracy and bribery indictments. Plus, the US Open tennis tournament gets into full swing in Queens next week after qualifying matches this week. And finally, we meet a group of young New Yorkers building some cool creations.

Welcome to NYC now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill. Mayor Adams' former chief advisor is facing four new conspiracy and bribery indictments. WNYC, Samantha Max, has a breakdown of the different alleged corruption schemes. Prosecutors say Ingrid Lewis Martin treated her power for bribes. In one case, they say she helped to scale back the design of a busy street and greenpoint in exchange for cash and a cameo on a TV show. In another case, prosecutors say she steered migrant contracts towards certain property owners.

The indictment also accuses Louis Martin of fast-tracking approvals for development projects and a home renovation. Prosecutors say she was rewarded with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifted food for events. Lewis Martin and all the other defendants have pleaded, not guilty. The U.S. Open Tennis Tournament gets into full swing in Queens next week after qualifying matches this week. City officials say more than a million people are expected to attend this year's event in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says police have extensive security plans in place. That includes K-9 and counterterrorism units, as well as hundreds of uniformed officers. With every event of this scope and this size, there will be

Security measures that you will see and others that you will not see. Commissioner Tisch says there are no specific or credible threats to the tournament, but she is urging spectators to stay vigilant. 77 with sunshine now. Look out for coastal flooding. 82 and sunny today. Great weather for baseball tonight at Yankee Stadium. Saturday, sunny and 84. Stick around. There's more to come after the break. Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly touted a model.

during his nearly four years in office, his gets stuff done. But in a series of indictments, prosecutors say getting stuff done often involved paying a bribe to an administration official. The latest accusations are detailed in four indictments against two members of Adams' inner circle. WNMC's David Brand joins us. Now, David, would you quickly walk us through the new charges? Who's accused here? Well, prosecutors brought new charges against Adams' long-time advisor, Ingrid Louis, Martin, along with Jesse Hamilton. That's Adams' friend who actually succeeded him as state senator. And Adams installed Hamilton as deputy commissioner at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

It's known as DeCast, and that's the agency that maintains city-owned buildings and leases new sites for city agencies. The charges here are pretty all over the place, but they can be broadly characterized as pay-to-play. So Lewis Martin is charged with pressuring top city officials to fast-track approvals. For a developer with housing projects in Brooklyn in the Bronx, she allegedly tried to steer city shelter contracts to a Jamaica Queen's landlord. Prosecutors say she also pressured city officials to grant migrant shelter contracts to hotel owners recommended by her associate who then took a cut

and that she scaled back a street redesign on McGinnis Boulevard in Greenpoint at the behest of the owners of a soundstage company. Prosecutors say that in exchange for all that, the business people funneled tens of thousands of dollars to her son, paid for her home renovations, and even helped her land a bit role in a TV drama called The Godfather of Harlem. Prosecutors also say Hamilton played along and he got some home upgrades of his own. We'll say they and their co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty and they've denied any wrongdoing. David, how do these latest indictments relate to past corruption allegations swirling around the Adams administration?

Some of this stuff might sound familiar, and that's because a lot of it's pretty similar to past indictments against members of the Adams administration, including Mayor Adams himself. Louis Martin was already charged in previous indictment out of the Manhattan DA's office for helping other developments deal with the city. Adams was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and straw donations during his 2021 mayoral campaign. And in exchange, she allegedly helped people with ties to the Turkish government. government deal with city agencies. But Adams, of course, had that case dismissed earlier this year at the request of the Trump Justice Department. DOJ lawyers said the case was interfering with Adams' ability to help with Trump's mass deportation effort. Then there's Adams' former buildings commissioner, Eric Ulrich, who was indicted for another alleged pay-to-play scheme almost two years

ago in 2023. And those are just the people who are facing formal criminal charges. There's been an array of other officials who've had their phones seized or have been investigated by state and federal authorities over the past couple years. How is the mayor responding to the latest round of allegations? Well, his campaign put out a statement yesterday reminding people that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing as part of these indictments that were handed up yesterday. He says that while Lewis Martin is no longer working for City Hall or for the city, that she's been a friend and a colleague for four decades and that he knows her as a devoted public servant. He also says Jesse Hamilton is innocent until proven guilty. And we should say that Hamilton resigned from his

city post yesterday following the indictment. And that's according to his attorney. These accusations, these charges are having a big impact on the race and really overshadowing some of the mayor's accomplishments and the message he wants to put out there as he's running for reelection. Like crime is down. He's focusing on housing production. But the other candidates have all said that his administration is too tarnished by scandal for him to continue as mayor, and that this is just the latest example to bolster that message. WNIC's David Brand. David, thank you. Thanks a lot, Michael. Off of 19th Street in the South Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, behind an unassuming gated entrance,

you'll hear the sounds of drilling, childhood chatter, and imaginations, reverendation. living up. WNYC's Tamsin Vidal went inside to see just what sort of innovations young New Yorkers were getting rolling. The junkyard belongs to Coco, NYC, a Brooklyn-based program that encourages kids to use creativity, independence, and reclaimed materials to build anything possible. On this day, they're using their inventiveness to build soapbox derby cars, gearing up for a big race this coming Saturday. It really puts engineering skills to the test, and I want to be an engineer when I grew up. That's 8-year-old Bowie.

He's working with his friend Henry, also 8. They had pretty different ideas for their car at first. Bowie wanted to make it all about abstract art, which he learned about at Coco. Henry had a more specific idea. I wanted to be cats eating gelato, so he added a sign that says cats gelato on the side of our car. I really like it because I have a cat. They had more practical considerations as well. Here's Bowie again.

So it's like you have to think, how do I build wheels? How do I make this aerodynamic? How did they do that, you might ask? The pair used small bike tires for the front of their car and larger ones for the back, hoping it will allow them to pick up air, speed, and a potential win. Coco NYC is in its 18th year. Throughout the summer, kids ages 8 through 14 gather weekly at the lot for workshops that cost a little over $800.

But the program offers scholarships. There are about 30 kids working in groups or individually, and they've got complete say in the design of their cars. Ten-year-old Abigail based hers off of her favorite TV show. Murder drones by Glitch Studios. I extremely recommend it. It's very good. Friends, Nuri, Eli, and Daniel decided to build a group. grilling car with cuts of meat made out of wood and a tiny barbecue trailing behind. 10-year-old Lorelei built a black and white feline-themed car, featuring eyes, ears, and a nose.

My car is kind of based off my friend's cat, who I'm working with, and it's a white and black cat, and I just thought it would be fun to make, like, the tail move, and we actually got that part to work. Lorelei did that by loosening the screws of the wooden tail and moving it manually. When I visited the lot earlier this month, I wondered, where does all this material come from? Nine-year-old Florence gave me the scoop. They've got a pile of scrap materials that are donated, and there's, like, planks, tires. The tires are mainly bike tires, and once or twice you can find, like, a shock.

The kids will race their cars at Koko NYC's annual South Slope Derby, happening this Saturday on 17th Street and 6th Avenue in Brooklyn. Bowie and his teammate Henry are a little anxious for the big day, but they know how to calm their nerves. Just thinking about what would happen if we won. What happens if you win? Um... Nothing.

You just get ragging rights, I guess. The derby goes from noon to 3 p.m. All are welcomed. Tams and Vidal, WNYC News. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Check us out for updates every weekday three times a day for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcast.