Money in a bag of chips: A bizarre episode of attempted bribery or attempted friendship occurred in Harlem on Wednesday. Winnie Greco, Adams’ former director of Asian affairs and a volunteer for his reelection campaign, gave a reporter from THE CITY a half-eaten bag of sour‑cream‑and‑onion potato chips that contained a red envelope with hundreds of dollars in cash. Greco claims it was a cultural gesture of gratitude, not a bribe. She was suspended from the campaign, and the money was turned over to authorities.
“I just wanted to be her friend. I just wanted to have one good friend. It’s nothing,” Greco said on the phone with THE CITY.
Ingrid-Lewis Martin indicted: What a week it’s been for the former top aides to Mayor Adams. Ingrid Lewis‑Martin, Adams’s longtime chief advisor, was indicted again yesterday after charges were initially brought against her in December for taking over $100,000 in bribes from a pair of businessmen. This time, Lewis-Martin is facing four more counts of conspiracy and bribery. Prosecutors allege she accepted over $75,000 — including cash, seafood, home renovations, free catering, a trip to Japan and even a speaking role on a TV show — in exchange for using her influence to secure city favors.
Lewis-Martin pleaded not guilty to every count. “Despite a lifetime of service as a law-abiding public servant, Ingrid is being forced to enter court with little information,” Arthur Aidala, Lewis-Martin’s lawyer, told amNY. But prosecutors tell a different story: “If you were willing to pay, Ms. Lewis-Martin was open for business,” said assistant district attorney Guy Tardanico at Lewis-Martin’s hearing on Thursday.
Legionnaires’ disease: A deadly outbreak of legionnaires’ disease continues to unfold in Central Harlem. Cases have climbed to 111, with six confirmed deaths, the highest number since a 2015 outbreak in the Bronx. The source has been traced to 12 cooling towers across 10 buildings, including a city‑run hospital and health clinic, all of which have been remediated.
The outbreak has raised questions about Mayor Adams’ handling of public health emergencies. According to an analysis from Gothamist, inspections of city cooling towers fell to a post-pandemic low earlier this year. Adams faced criticism in the past for failing to quickly alert New Yorkers to air quality issues and flooding hazards.
“This was avoidable,” Dr. Don Weiss, a former city health official, told Gothamist. “We know how to prevent Legionella outbreaks.”
Some quick-hitters:
- A gang-related shooting at Taste of the City nightclub in Crown Heights on Sunday left three people dead, including two gunmen, and 10 others wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. It is believed the violence stemmed from an argument between 19-year-old Marvin St. Louis and 35-year-old Jamel Childs, both of whom were killed in the shooting, with four gunmen firing a total of 42 shots.
- New York City’s public beaches were shut to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday due to dangerous rip currents and waves triggered by Hurricane Erin, which remains offshore but continues to drive hazardous surf conditions.
- The Federal Transit Administration threatened to cut off funding to the MTA unless the agency submits a new risk assessment focused on subway worker safety. The MTA pushed back, claiming the move is politically motivated and in retaliation to New York City’s congestion pricing policy.
- The MTA Board approved a nearly $2 billion tunneling contract for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway, extending the Q train from 96th Street to 125th Street, including the construction of new stations at 106th, 116th and 125th Streets.
The Kicker: A New Jersey resident is believed to have contracted the first “home-grown” case of malaria in the state since 1991. About 100 cases of malaria are reported in New Jersey every year from people who have traveled internationally, but the patient in question had no history of travel outside the U.S. Malaria can be contracted locally if a mosquito bites someone who developed malaria internationally and then bites someone else.
