Top Adams administration official Jesse Hamilton resigned Thursday after being charged in a sprawling bribery case alongside several other prominent allies of Mayor Adams.
Louis Molina, Adams’ commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, confirmed Hamilton’s resignation from the agency in a statement to the Daily News, saying it was effective immediately.
“As we move forward, I want to assure New Yorkers that our focus on our mission is unwavering; delivering services on behalf of all New Yorkers and the agencies we support remains our priority,” Molina’s statement said.
An attorney for Hamilton, a longtime friend to the mayor, also confirmed his resignation.
“Jesse made the wise decision to retire and resign so that he can give full attention to fighting these false allegations,” the attorney, Mark Pollard, said.
Hamilton’s resignation came just hours after Manhattan prosecutors charged him with taking bribes from real estate developer Yechiel Landau in exchange for using his top post at DCAS to fast-track construction projects Landau was pursuing in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Specifically, prosecutors allege Landau paid for renovations of Hamilton’s home in exchange for the permitting help.
Hamilton was indicted alongside Ingrid Lewis-Martin, another longtime friend to the mayor who used to serve as his chief adviser at City Hall.
In his DCAS role, Hamilton had the power to enter into city government leases with private landlords. After his resignation, a DCAS spokeswoman said Thursday that Hamilton hasn’t had that authority since fall 2024, though, when Molina stripped him of it.
The revocation of his lease authority came after Hamilton had his phones seized by investigators in September 2024 as part of a corruption probe. Though it wasn’t the focus of Thursday’s charges against him, the news outlet The City has reported Hamilton is facing scrutiny from investigators for his role in steering a lucrative city government lease to a major Adams donor.
Lewis-Martin was charged Thursday in multiple other indictments, too, alleging she pocketed bribes from a variety of political allies in exchange for government favors.
Lewis-Martin resigned from Adams’ administration in December 2024, shortly before she was indicted on a separate set of bribery charges.
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