Friend of former FBI Director James Comey subpoenaed in federal probe: Sources
James Comey speaks onstage at 92NY on May 30, 2023 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A Columbia law professor who is a friend and adviser to former FBI Director James Comey was subpoenaed last week by federal prosecutors in connection with a criminal probe into whether Comey allegedly lied in testimony before Congress, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Daniel Richman has previously acknowledged his role as an intermediary between Comey and reporters in the wake of Comey’s 2017 firing by President Donald Trump during his first term over Trump’s anger with the FBI’s investigation into his 2016 campaign.
Richman met with federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter said.
In public statements, Richman has said he shared the content of memos written by Comey about his interactions with Trump with a reporter from the New York Times.
Trump later accused Comey of breaking the law by sharing his memos, arguing they contained classified information, though Richman later told ABC News in a statement that none of the documents had any classification markings.
The subpoena to Richman, according to sources, stems from an investigation into testimony Comey made before Congress in September 2020 about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Comey has repeatedly defended his handling of the early stages of the investigation and denied any decisions were based out of political animus towards Trump.
A previous investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general faulted Comey for violating FBI policies over his handling of the memos regarding his interactions with President Trump, though the DOJ under Trump’s first administration declined to prosecute him.
An attorney for Richman and an attorney for Comey did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
A Justice Department spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Entrance to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The federal agency responsible for administering the nation’s immigration and naturalization system will now have enforcement agents for the first time.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is adding law enforcement agents to its workforce, according to a press release issued Thursday by the agency.
The agents will be tasked with “making arrests, carrying firearms, executing search and arrest warrants, and other powers standard for federal law enforcement,” according to the release.
Traditionally, the agency has not been a law enforcement agency.
A new rule published on the federal register grants the authority under a little-known department at USCIS: the fraud detection agency.
The rule technically expands their authority to give them law enforcement powers.
“By upholding the integrity of our immigration system, we enforce the laws of this nation. As Secretary Noem delegated lawful authorities to expand the agency’s law enforcement capabilities, this rule allows us to fulfill our critical mission,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in the announcement, referring to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” Edlow said.
FALL RIVER, Mass. — The Massachusetts assisted-living facility that caught fire Sunday evening, leaving nine dead, was slated to undergo a recertification and compliance review process later this year.
“Gabriel House is up for recertification in November 2025 and is on the list of compliance reviews to be conducted this Fall,” a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services said in a statement Monday evening.
An official briefed on the probe into the cause of the deadly fire told ABC News that, as a preliminary matter, the fire does not appear to have been set intentionally. More likely, the source said, it appears to have been caused by some sort of electrical or mechanical problem.
Thirty people, including five firefighters, were taken to local hospitals after the deadly fire, according to officials.
The facility in Fall River is classified as an assisted-living residence, not a nursing home. This distinction means that complexes like Gabriel House are subject to a different inspection, certification and regulatory process than Massachusetts nursing homes.
The Massachusetts Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification’s website says that the division conducts unannounced inspections of nursing homes every nine to 15 months.
Since Gabriel House is considered an assisted-living residence, its last onsite visit by representatives of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence occurred in October 2023.
The office said that at the time, it found areas where Gabriel House “was not in compliance with state regulations,” and the facility was required to submit a plan of correction.
A compliance review report sent to Gabriel House Executive Director Dennis Etzkorn indicated the alleged violations were primarily related to missing documentation.
One part of the report noted that state representatives reviewed a 90-day correspondence log “required to communicate information necessary to maintain the continuity of care for all Residents.”
“The Residence did not consistently document for each 24-hour period in the Correspondence Log,” the document stated. “The Residence did not use the Correspondence Log to communicate all significant or pertinent information necessary to maintain the continuity of care for all Residents.”
Another part of the report said, “Documentation of the Residence monitoring the effectiveness of its Evidence Informed Falls Prevention Program was missing for all calendar years” and that the personnel records of three employees “were missing documentation of a pre-employment physical examination.”
Gabriel House’s plan of correction indicated that changes were made and it received a certificate in December 2023. The certificate allowed Gabriel House to operate until November of this year.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin. Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Ingrid Lewis-Martin accepted more than $75,000 in bribes while serving as chief adviser to New York Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged Thursday in four separate conspiracy indictments that also named eight others, including some of the mayor’s associates.
Lewis-Martin, who was previously charged with accepting more than $100,000 in bribes, is now alleged to have conspired to steer city contracts for shelters to house asylum-seekers to preferred property owners in exchange for a $50,000 cash payment allegedly accepted by her son, Glenn Martin II, who is also charged.
In a different indictment, Lewis-Martin is alleged to have taken $2,500 from two Brooklyn business owners, Gina and Tony Argento, in exchange for convincing city transportation officials to abandon a plan to redesign McGuinness Boulevard.
Lewis-Martin and the city’s deputy commissioner for real estate services, Jesse Hamilton, are alleged in the third indictment to have conspired to fast-track development projects in exchange for renovations on their homes.
In the fourth indictment, Lewis-Martin allegedly conspired to obtain approval for a residential renovation project in exchange for thousands of dollars of catering for events at Gracie Mansion and City Hall.
“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on City government,” Bragg said in a statement announcing the indictments. “As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets.”
Lewis-Martin, who previously pleaded not guilty, is now charged with conspiracy and bribery charges.
“New York City officials and employees have a duty to serve the public fairly and equitably and the vast majority fulfill that sacred responsibility each and every day. Today’s Indictments, however, allege that the Mayor’s former Chief Advisor, at times in concert with the Deputy Commissioner for Real Estate Services in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, repeatedly and persistently abused her senior government position to enrich herself and her family,” Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said in a statement.
Her lawyer, Arthur Aidala, maintained that Lewis-Martin “has broken no laws, and she is not guilty.”
“Despite a lifetime of service as a law-abiding public servant, Ingrid is being forced to enter court with little information,” he said in a statement on Wednesday ahead of the release of the indictments. “What she does know is this: she has always served the City with integrity, and she will firmly plead not guilty to every charge.”
Adams, who is now running for reelection as an independent instead of a Democrat, is not expected to be charged with any wrongdoing and a spokesperson said the new charges against Lewis-Martin have nothing to do with him.
“Mayor Adams was not involved in this matter and has not been accused of or implicated in any wrongdoing. He remains focused on what has always been his priority — serving the 8.5 million New Yorkers who call this city home and making their city safer and more affordable every single day,” the spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “Ingrid Lewis-Martin no longer works for this administration.”
Lewis-Martin resigned from her position days before surrendering on bribery and money laundering charges in December 2024.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office probe is separate from federal corruption charges that were brought and then subsequently dropped against Adams. The mayor was indicted last year in the Southern District of New York on five counts in an alleged long-standing conspiracy connected to improper benefits, illegal campaign contributions and an attempted cover-up.
The Department of Justice moved to dismiss the charges, prompting the resignation of several top prosecutors. In April, a federal judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be revived.
The Justice Department sought to have the case dismissed to free up Adams to cooperate with the mayor’s immigration agenda, though it wanted the case dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be brought again.
