Jesse Hamilton, a former state senator appointed by Mayor Eric Adams to oversee the city’s real estate operations, went on a trip to Japan with a lobbyist who had previously lobbied Hamilton on behalf of a Bronx contractor. Hamilton and Adams’ chief advisor had their phones confiscated upon returning to JFK Airport. The lobbyist, Adam Clayton Powell IV, had meetings with Hamilton and lobbied the mayor’s advisor on behalf of a developer. Powell, a former elected official, also made donations to Adams’ reelection campaign. The trip to Japan was said to be a vacation, with everyone paying their own way. The situation has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and influence in city operations.
Jesse Hamilton, a key ally of Mayor Eric Adams who was appointed to oversee the city’s real estate operations, took a trip to Japan alongside Adam Clayton Powell IV, a former elected official turned registered lobbyist. Powell had lobbied Hamilton earlier in the year on behalf of a Bronx contractor, according to THE CITY. The Japan trip also included Adams’ chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, and several others. Upon their return to JFK International Airport from Japan, Hamilton and Lewis-Martin had their phones confiscated by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Lewis-Martin was served with a federal grand jury subpoena and her home was raided by the FBI and the city Department of Investigation.
Hamilton succeeded Adams in his state senate seat in Crown Heights but lost re-election in 2018. Subsequently, Adams appointed him as the deputy commissioner in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) where he is responsible for overseeing city-owned properties and leased properties.
In his disclosure filings, Powell, a former City Council member and State Assembly member, disclosed a meeting with Hamilton on February 21 representing his client Totem Holdings Inc., a government work contractor. The discussion centered around a “determination regarding real property.” Powell also reported lobbying Mayor Adams’ senior advisor, Tiffany Raspberry, on behalf of the developer Fortis Contractors LLC in May or June 2023, regarding the “HERRC program,” which pertains to the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers established by the city to accommodate asylum seekers.
Powell, who served in the City Council in the 1990s and the State Assembly from 2001 to 2010, contributed $400 to the mayor’s 2025 reelection campaign, the maximum allowable for individuals conducting business with the city. Additionally, he hosted a birthday party for Adams in December 2022. Powell stated that the meeting with Hamilton did not yield any outcomes and clarified that everyone paid for their expenses during the Japan trip.
Alexis Pena, the president of Totem, made three donations totaling $1,000 to Adams’ 2025 campaign, with two of the contributions occurring after Powell’s meeting with Hamilton. Powell mentioned that his meeting with Hamilton was unproductive and reiterated that the Japan trip was a vacation where each participant paid for their own expenses.
THE CITY attempted to contact Pena for comment without success. A spokesperson for DCAS did not immediately respond to queries regarding who financed Hamilton’s trip to Japan. Hamilton, Powell, and Lewis-Martin were accompanied by other individuals on the trip, including Lisa Lashley, previously the director of the mayor’s office of appointments, and Diana Boutross, a vice president at the real estate brokerage Cushman Wakefield.
Cushman Wakefield has a retainer agreement with DCAS to provide real estate counsel to the city, with a contract starting in September 2022 with a total value of up to $40 million. As of the latest information, the firm has received $8.6 million under this agreement. A spokesperson for Cushman declined to comment on Boutross.
Source: TheCity.NYC
