How Bribes Allegedly Killed Long-Planned McGuinness Boulevard Safety Upgrades

by Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper

Tony and Gina Argento, the sibling duo who own Greenpoint production company Broadway Stages, allegedly bribed one of Mayor Eric Adams’ top aides in an effort to scuttle the McGuinness Boulevard redesign.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged the pair with bribery and conspiracy on Thursday as part of a wide-ranging indictment against Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who was at the time Adams’ chief advisor.

Lewis-Martin “conspired with Gina Argento, Tony Argento, and Broadway Stages to push changes to DOT’s approved bike lane redesign of McGuinness Boulevard,” court documents state, in exchange for cash and other benefits — like an appearance on a TV show filmed at Broadway Stages.

The siblings turned themselves in at the Manhattan D.A.’s office on Thursday morning, along with Lewis-Martin and several other defendants of other bribery schemes.

Starting in 2022, a year after the city began its efforts to redesign McGuinness Boulevard in response to the hit-and-run death of public school teacher Matt Jensen, Lewis-Martin was in regular contact with the Argentos, court documents state.

The siblings were opposed to the Department of Transportation’s plan to remove vehicle traffic lanes along McGuinness Boulevard, which runs past Broadway Stages.

Working with an unnamed City Hall employee, Lewis-Martin allegedly insisted she be part of any DOT meetings regarding the McGuinness project, and had the City Hall employee share details of the DOT’s plan with the Argentos — and convey their concerns with DOT.

Lewis-Martin also urged an unnamed person involved with local Community Board 1 to “get the [Community Board] [to] work in the Argento’s best interest,” text messages show. Gina also sits on CB1.

That fall, Lewis-Martin was given a speaking role in an episode of “Godfather of Harlem.” In a text to Gina and Anthony, she said the experience was “everything,” and that she planned to get her Screen Actors Guild card. She was later paid $800 for the appearance.

In June 2023, as DOT grew nearer to approving its design for McGuinness Boulevard, Lewis-Martin met with Mayor Eric Adams to talk about the plan and encourage him to adopt an alternate design that had been discussed with and approved by the Argentos. Around the same time, Broadway Stages was leading a local group called “Keep McGuinness Moving,” which opposed the project.

On July 8, court documents show, Gina texted Lewis-Martin a photo of a flyer from “Make McGuinness Safe,” a local campaign in favor of the redesign. Lewis-Martin responded “…We do not care what they say. We are ignoring them and continuing with our plan. They can kiss my ass.”

Days later, Gina sent Lewis-Martin $2,500 via Zelle. On July 12, Adams ordered DOT to rethink the redesign, which had already been approved. In the months that followed, the city flip-flopped on its plans for McGuinness as local advocates and elected officials slammed the administration’s sudden change of heart.

Meanwhile, in spring 2024, Gina sent Lewis-Martin a package of clothes from Bloomingdale’s, and Tony said he was “negotiating” to get the official another acting job. Lewis-Martin wanted to appear on “Blue Bloods,” she told Tony.

That summer, Gina ponied up $10,000 to pay for catering at an event Lewis-Martin hosted at Gracie Mansion. Not long after, investigators seized Lewis-Martin and Gina’s phones.

In an August 20 statement, lawyers George Stamboulidis and Artie McConnell, representing Gina, Anthony, and Broadway Stages, said the siblings “have not engaged in any wrongdoing.”

“Broadway Stages has been responsive and cooperated fully with the District Attorney’s investigation since we became aware of it last fall, including providing access to electronic media and thousands of company documents and financial records,” the lawyers said.

Eventually, DOT installed a stripped-back version of the redesign — preserving both vehicle travel lanes — on the northern part of McGuinness Boulevard, including the section near Broadway Stages. It moved forward with the full redesign, removing one vehicle lane, on the southern half.

“As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets,” Bragg said in a statement. “While she allegedly received more than $75,000 in bribes and an appearance on a TV show, every other New Yorker lost out.”

Martin-Lewis’ lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said his client was “fulfilling her duty,” and denied that she had received “a single dollar or any personal benefit for her assistance.”

The charges facing the Argentos — conspiracy in the fourth degree and bribery in the second degree – carry maximum prison sentences of four and 15 years in prison, respectively, if convicted.

John J. Ciafone, Gina’s husband and lawyer, said the indictment was “an extreme stretch.”

“Broadway Stages was among over 600 businesses that signed a petition in opposition to the road diet,” he said. “It was never an issue with bike lanes, they wanted bike lanes, but they wanted some kind of compromise.”

The Keep McGuinness Moving website initially listed nearly 200 businesses who were opposed to the redesign, but many were tied directly to Broadway Stages, news outlet THE CITY reported in 2023.

“Tony and Gina did nothing but exercise their first-amendment rights,” Ciafone said.

He feels the indictment is likely to be thrown out, and chalked the $2,500 payment from Gina to Lewis-Martin as “a donation.”

“Broadway Stages, Gina and Tony do a lot of good deeds, a lot of donations,” Ciafone said. “And this is their punishment. To try to attribute good deeds to an allegation of bribery is horrendous. And we’re going to knock it out.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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