S
tate Sen. Jesse Hamilton's handling of city leases has come under scrutiny after he approved three multi-million dollar deals arranged by Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate firm whose top broker vacationed with him in Japan last month. The trip was part of an ongoing investigation into corruption at City Hall.

    Hamilton, deputy commissioner for real estate in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), did not attend a hearing on Tuesday where Councilmember Lincoln Restler questioned DCAS Commissioner Louis Molina about Hamilton's lease approvals since his appointment by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022.

    Molina stated that DCAS didn't pay for Hamilton's trip to Japan, but also didn't ask who funded it. When asked if Hamilton or anyone at DCAS requested a waiver from the city Conflicts of Interest Board, Molina replied that since the trip wasn't for business purposes, no consultation was necessary.

    Hamilton approved three leases arranged by Cushman & Wakefield, including a 21-year lease to relocate the Administration for Children's Services. The city will pay $28 million in rent and reimburse over $42 million in renovation costs.

    The hearing also focused on a pending lease arrangement to relocate the Department for the Aging into a tower owned by billionaire Alexander Rovt, who donated to Mayor Adams' legal defense fund. Hamilton intervened after lower-level DCAS staffers had already signed off on renting space at 250 Broadway. The terms of this transaction have yet to be finalized and were arranged by CBRE, another brokerage firm that has made donations to Mayor Adams' re-election campaign.