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The 'Godfather' gig: Mayor Adams' son worked on TV show cited in bribery case against ex-adviser
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 25, 2025
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Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Haute Living
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 25, 2025
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As owners of a prominent production studio company, Gina and Tony Argento had the power to fulfill a dream of a lifetime: the chance to work in show business.
Prosecutors say the sibling owners of Broadway Stages got Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a role in the TV show “Godfather of Harlem” as part of a bundle of gifts given in exchange for her scaling back a bike lane project along a dangerous Brooklyn thoroughfare near the family’s business. An indictment unsealed Thursday called Lewis-Martin’s 2022 TV cameo a bribe.
But Lewis-Martin was not the first person close to Adams to score a job on the show filmed at a Broadway Stages location. In 2020, Adams’ son Jordan Coleman served as actor Forest Whitaker’s personal assistant during the show’s second season.
Coleman’s work on the show about 1960s Harlem crime boss Bumpy Johnson is another example of the close ties the Argentos maintained with Adams’ inner circle – ties, prosecutors say, that enabled them to influence decisions at City Hall. The family has backed Adams for years, donating more than $15,000 to his campaigns and $100,000 to a now-defunct nonprofit that Adams backed when he was borough president.
A call sheet obtained by Gothamist lists Coleman as a “COVID monitor” on the “Godfather of Harlem” set. But three people who worked on the show said Coleman served as Whitaker’s assistant during shoots in 2020 and 2021 – a job Coleman referenced in a 2023 New York Post profile. The production employees asked not to be named because it could harm their future job prospects.
Two of the production employees said they were told Coleman was a “political hire,” while another said he was described as a “must hire.” At the time, Adams was serving as Brooklyn borough president and was contemplating a mayoral bid.
City & State reported last week that Tony Argento’s son, Anthony Argento, later produced a zombie movie written by and starring Coleman.
Adams, who is running for re-election, was not accused of wrongdoing in the recent indictment. Lewis-Martin and the Argentos pleaded not guilty to bribery charges at their arraignments.
On Friday, Adams said Lewis-Martin “was like a sister” and described the Argentos as “wonderful people.”
He acknowledged his son had worked for Broadway Stages, but maintained he had no involvement in his career. “My son finds his way. My son has been working and has been finding jobs,” he said.
Danny Sanchez, who worked as a health and safety manager on the “Godfather of Harlem” set, recalled Coleman was initially hired as part of a COVID monitoring team.
But he said Whitaker was anxious about contracting COVID so Coleman was made his personal assistant. Coleman tended to the star’s protective equipment and other procedures.
Sanchez said at the time of filming, he was not aware Coleman was Adams’ son – but he also said the news was unsurprising.
“It’s very much a ‘who you know’ industry,” Sanchez said. “It’s families, friends and close ones that get in first.”
Mayor Adams' son Jordan Coleman attended a birthday party for the rapper Jadakiss in May.
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Coleman did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the indictment, Lewis-Martin expressed her gratitude to the Argentos for her brief role in the show.
“Thank you. It was everything,” she texted the siblings. The indictment said that in the months that followed, she texted Tony Argento that the show she really wanted to appear on was “Blue Bloods.”
John Ciafone, a lawyer for the Argentos, said Broadway Stages has no hand in hiring production staff or actors for shows produced on their soundstages. He suggested the siblings may have connected Lewis-Martin to Ray Quinlan, the executive producer for “Godfather of Harlem.”
“Maybe a recommendation,” he said.
He later added: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Quinlan did not return a request for comment.
The Argentos opposed a “road diet” that would have reduced traffic lanes on McGuinness Boulevard, which was used by their company. That put the siblings at odds with advocates, who had fiercely pushed for a redesign of the notorious thoroughfare after a popular public school teacher was killed by a driver.
In 2023, the Adams administration announced it would implement a substantial redesign of the road that would feature a bike lane protected by parked cars. But months later, the mayor scaled back that plan.
Lewis-Martin dismissed street safety advocates' concerns in a phone call to a City Hall staffer in April of last year, according to the indictment.
“Just make sure we shut their a--es down on McGuinness,” she said.
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new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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