logo
NYC realtor sidelined city contract competitor as ‘direct result' of ties to top Mayor Adams aides: suit

NYC realtor sidelined city contract competitor as ‘direct result' of ties to top Mayor Adams aides: suit

Yahoo13-02-2025

Diana Boutross, a New York real estate broker, was able to sideline a competitor from a lucrative city government contract and secure the deal for herself as a 'direct result' of her close relationship with Ingrid Lewis-Martin and Jesse Hamilton, two longtime aides to Mayor Adams, according to an updated lawsuit.
The revised lawsuit comes as Boutross, Hamilton and Lewis-Martin, who resigned as the mayor's chief adviser in December, all remain under scrutiny from the Manhattan district attorney's office.
All three got their phones seized by DA investigators in September after returning from a trip to Japan, and Lewis-Martin was days after her resignation indicted on bribery and money laundering charges stemming from an alleged real estate scheme that appears unconnected to any dealings with Boutross and Hamilton.
DA prosecutors said in court last week they are pursuing other 'ongoing investigations' touching on Lewis-Martin, and that other 'targets' of those probes are connected to her.
The lawsuit in question was first filed last month by Boutross' competitor, JRT Realty, against her firm, Cushman & Wakefield.
The suit claimed Hamilton, a top official at the city Department of Citywide Administrative Services, pressured Cushman & Wakefield to install Boutross as its main executive on a contract with Adams' administration under which she'd broker commercial property deals between private landlords and city agencies in exchange for hefty commissions.
JRT, a subcontractor on the DCAS deal entitled to share in those commissions, charged in the original suit Cushman & Wakefield acquiesced to Hamilton's demand and put Boutross in the post in late 2023, at which point she took allegedly illicit steps to block JRT from deals.
But an amended complaint submitted in Manhattan Supreme Court late Wednesday alleges Boutross couldn't pull off those moves alone, but relied on her connections to Lewis-Martin and Hamilton to do so.
'[Boutross and her co-defendants] were able to do so only as a direct result of Boutross's personal relationships with Hamilton and Lewis-Martin,' JRT wrote in the updated complaint, which now names Boutross as well as two colleagues as defendants, in addition to Cushman & Wakefield itself, accusing them of defamation, contract breaches, tortious business intereference and other civil counts.
Specifically, JRT claims Boutross had help from Lewis-Martin and Hamilton in securing 'modifications' to the city's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises rules that allowed Boutross to more easily block JRT from sharing in commissions. The firm, which is women-owned, alleges in the suit that city administrative and contract laws were violated in the process of those modifications being made.
Lewis-Martin, who has pleaded not guilty in her criminal case, isn't named as a defendant in JRT's suit, and neither is Hamilton.
Attorneys and reps for Lewis-Martin, Hamilton and Boutross didn't immediately return requests for comment Thursday. In response to JRT's original suit, attorneys for Cushman & Wakefield denied wrongdoing and filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss the accusations.
Also in the updated suit, JRT alleged Boutross hinted she had friends in high places when she spoke with JRT executives in mid-2023, before she was selected to take over the DCAS contract.
After the JRT executives explained to her the complexities of pulling off a DCAS brokering deal, Boutross, who allegedly had no prior government leasing experience, would respond, 'Don't worry. I have a rabbi,' according to the suit. The phrase is commonly used to denote a person with high-up connections that can make a difficult situation easy.
Around the same time of those talks, Hamilton had lunch with Boutross, her boss at Cushman & Wakefield and others, JRT alleges. In that lunch, Hamilton made clear to Boutross' boss that she should be tapped to oversee the contract with DCAS, according to court papers.
'She is my broker,' Hamilton said in the meeting, pointing at Boutross, JRT alleges.
A spokeswoman for DCAS didn't immediately return a request for comment on the amended JRT suit.
The lawsuit's playing out as Lewis-Martin's bribery case remains pending, with her lawyer and prosecutors meeting for a brief court hearing Thursday to discuss trial preparations. She has been indicted alongside her son, who allegedly received most of the bribes his mother accepted from two real estate developers in exchange for help with building permits.
Unlike Adams — whose federal corruption case is in the process of being at least temporarily dismissed by President Trump's administration — Lewis-Martin was indicted by local prosecutors who have shown no sign of wanting to drop her case.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Woodstock man gets 50 year sentence for family violence conviction
Woodstock man gets 50 year sentence for family violence conviction

Yahoo

time12 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Woodstock man gets 50 year sentence for family violence conviction

The Cherokee County District Attorney's Office announced that a man was facing a 50 year sentence after negotiating a plea in a family violence case. District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said that David Ray Graham, 38 of Woodstock, entered a negotiated plea to multiple charges on Thursday, taking a guilty plea for multiple charges related to a domestic violence assault. According to the DA's office, Graham faced eight charges stemming from a sheriff's office investigation in March 2024. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The DA's office said Cherokee County Sheriff's Office deputies went to Northside Cherokee Hospital after getting a report that a woman had been assaulted in a Woodstock home. While being treated for what the DA's office said were visible injuries, the victim told deputies that Graham had repeatedly punched and kicked her, threatened her with a machete and hammer and held her against her will in the home. TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta-area rapper sentenced for bringing stolen loaded 'machine gun' into hospital labor unit Another risk for strong to severe storms today Giant tree crashes into another, sends it toppling onto Cobb County rental home 'Evidence in this case showed that over the course of one terrifying night, this defendant subjected a woman to prolonged and brutal violence,' Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement. 'This was not an isolated incident. David Graham had abused this woman before, and this time he could have killed her. Even after his arrest, he continued the cycle of abuse by calling from jail to threaten her and pressure her to recant. This sentence holds him accountable and brings justice for the fear and harm he inflicted.' Graham was charged with: 2 counts family violence aggravated assault False imprisonment 3 counts family violence battery Influencing a witness Terroristic threats The DA's office said Graham was sentenced to 50 years, with 20 in prison and the remaining 30 on probation. Graham's probation has special conditions, including no contact of any kind with the victim, he must participate in a family violence intervention program, be evaluated and treated for mental health and substance abuse and must forfeit all of his weapons. 'Domestic violence threatens the safety of all citizens and has no place in our community. For this reason, we remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice for all who are affected,' Treadaway said. 'We commend the Cherokee Sheriff's Office and the staff at Northside Cherokee Hospital for their compassionate response to protect and support the woman assaulted by this defendant.' For those who know someone affected by domestic violence, or who are being affected and are in need of support, there is a 24/7 crisis hotline at 770-479-1703. In an emergency, call 911. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Blood on the prairie: When neighbors became killers near Fort Scott
Blood on the prairie: When neighbors became killers near Fort Scott

Yahoo

time12 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Blood on the prairie: When neighbors became killers near Fort Scott

(KODE & KSN) — The Four State region is rich with history, but like any land rich with history, locals and historians often worry there are some key pieces always at risk of being forgotten if generations are not communicating them. The Marais De Cygne massacre is one of those points in history that historians say should not be forgotten and may not be well known to many Four State residents. The famous saying 'those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it', if true about the Marais De Cygne massacre, makes it imperative the massacre is not forgotten, as it was the last major act of violence during the Bleeding Kansas period preceding the Civil War. May 19, 1858, was the day. Georgia native Charles Hamilton had led his 'band 'O boys' of about 30 'border ruffians' across the border from Missouri into the Kansas Territory. The men captured 11 unarmed abolitionist free staters near Trading Post, Kan. The captured abolitionists did not know the extent of the danger they were in, as the majority of them knew Hamilton and had no reason to suspect he intended to do them harm. Hamilton and his men led to group to a ravine, where Hamilton, said to have fired the first and last shot, ordered his men to open fire on the group. Five were killed, five were seriously injured, and one was able to escape without being injured or killed. One of the wives of the captured men had followed the gang to the site and attempted to perform life-saving aid on the critically wounded and dead. Later on, more locals would come to assist her and to help with the transport of the dead and wounded. Hamilton's motives behind the attack were mainly attributed to being run into Missouri by the controversial Union Colonel James Montgomery, a Jayhawker whose actions led Hamilton to hate him, and, in his anger, Hamilton sought revenge. Historians say all 11 of the men captured and shot at were non-violent abolitionists. It is said the gang planned the shooting at a place called the Western Hotel, a place James Montgomery attempted and failed to burn down June 5 of that year. The massacre shocked the nation, and was one of the largest publicized incidents that helped ignite the spark that would erupt into the Civil War. Today, historians say the massacre serves as a reminder that politically motivated small-scale violence and revenge practices can lead to a nation at war if its citizens are not careful. Of the roughly 30 men involved in the massacre, only one was ever brought to justice for the crime. On a spring day in 1863, a Bates County, Missouri man named William Griffith was recognized and arrested for his involvement. Griffith was hanged for the crime on October 30, 1863. Today, the massacre site remains open to the public as a state historical site. Those interested in visiting the site and its exhibits can visit the Kansas Historical Society website for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Can $1,000 at birth change a child's future? A Republican proposal aims to find out
Can $1,000 at birth change a child's future? A Republican proposal aims to find out

Yahoo

time13 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Can $1,000 at birth change a child's future? A Republican proposal aims to find out

WASHINGTON (AP) — When children of wealthy families reach adulthood, they often benefit from the largesse of parents in the form of a trust fund. It's another way they get a leg up on less affluent peers, who may receive nothing at all — or even be expected to support their families. But what if all children — regardless of their family's circumstances — could get a financial boost when they turn 18? That's the idea behind a House GOP proposal backed by President Donald Trump. It would create accounts for all babies born in the U.S. over the next four years with $1,000 that would accrue interest until the children reach adulthood. At age 18, they could withdraw the money to put toward a down payment for a home, education or to start a small business. If the money is used for other purposes, it'll be taxed at a higher rate. It builds on the concept of ' baby bonds,' which two states — California and Connecticut — and the District of Columbia have introduced as a way to reduce gaps between wealthy people and poor people. Rep. Blake Moore, a Republican from Utah, spearheaded the effort to get the initiative into a massive House spending bill. In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, he said wealth inequality has soured many people on capitalism. 'Trump Accounts,' as the proposal calls them, could be the antidote, he said. 'We know that America's economic engine is working, but not everyone feels connected to its value and the ways it can benefit them," Moore wrote. 'If we can demonstrate to our next generation the benefits of investing and financial health, we can put them on a path toward prosperity.' The bill calls for the money to be handled by investment firms. The bill would require at least one parent to produce a Social Security number with work authorizations, meaning the U.S. citizen children born to some categories of immigrants would be excluded from the benefit. But unlike other baby bond programs, which generally target disadvantaged groups, this one would be available to families of all incomes. 'When little baby is born they're gonna start off with a thousand dollars and if we do a good job of investing their money — we're going to go with one of the investing guidelines, who the hell knows if they're any good — but they have a chance to be very rich,' Trump said at a rally last week in Pittsburgh. 'It's going to be very cute to see.' Economist Darrick Hamilton of The New School, who first pitched the idea of baby bonds a quarter-century ago, said the GOP proposal would exacerbate rather than reduce wealth gaps. He envisioned a program that would be universal but would give children from poor families a larger endowment than their wealthier peers, in an attempt to level the playing field. The money would be handled by the government, not by private firms on Wall Street. 'It is upside down,' Hamilton said. 'It's going to enhance inequality.' Hamilton added that $1,000 — even with interest — would not be enough to make a significant difference for a child living in poverty. A Silicon Valley investor who created the blueprint for the proposal, Brad Gerstner, said in an interview with CNBC last year that the accounts could help address the wealth gap and the loss of faith in capitalism that represent an existential crisis for the U.S. 'The rise and fall of nations occurs when you have a wealth gap that grows, when you have people who lose faith in the system,' Gerstner said. 'We're not agentless. We can do something.' The proposal comes as Congressional Republicans and Trump face backlash for proposed cuts to programs that poor families with children rely on, including food assistance and Medicaid. Even some who back the idea of baby bonds are skeptical, noting Trump wants to cut higher education grants and programs that aid young people on the cusp of adulthood — the same age group Trump Accounts are supposed to help. Pending federal legislation would slash Medicaid and food and housing assistance that many families with children rely on. Young adults who grew up in poverty often struggle with covering basics like rent and transportation — expenses that Trump Accounts could not be tapped to cover, said Eve Valdez, an advocate for youth in foster care in southern California. Accounts for newborn children that cannot be accessed for 18 years mean little to families struggling to meet basic needs today, said Shimica Gaskins of End Child Poverty California. 'Having children have health care, having their families have access to SNAP and food are what we really need ... the country focused on,' Gaskins said. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Moriah Balingit, The Associated Press

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store