P
rosecutors may soon reveal damaging details from their investigation into the city's real estate dealings, but it already looks suspicious. A lawsuit filed by JRT Realty against Cushman & Wakefield has shed light on some disturbing practices. The case centers around Diana Boutross, a retail broker with no experience in government office deals, being chosen to lead Cushman & Wakefield's account with DCAS, the city agency that leases private space for city government.

    Boutross was picked despite not formally applying for the job, and it's alleged that DCAS official Jesse Hamilton threatened to drop Cushman & Wakefield if they chose someone else. This is a red flag, as city officials shouldn't be making demands like this, and retail brokers typically don't get office-leasing gigs without experience unless something fishy is going on.

    Things get even more suspicious when you learn that Hamilton, Boutross, and Ingrid Lewis-Martin, another senior city official, vacationed together in Japan. Investigators seized their phones upon their return to the US, and Lewis-Martin has since been indicted on unrelated bribery charges. It's unclear what they were doing on this trip or who paid for it.

    The situation is further complicated by a potential $750 million deal between DCAS and the Bronx Logistics Center, which would have yielded a large commission for Boutross' team if JRT Realty was denied its usual 33.75 percent split. Hamilton allegedly made public statements about the deal being exclusive to Cushman & Wakefield, raising questions about his motives.

    The central narrative of Adams administration scandals is one of friends running amok, believing they're untouchable because the mayor will protect them. This dynamic has led to several high-profile resignations and indictments. Meanwhile, an early sign of Hamilton's character was overlooked: he used affordable housing as a campaign office, paying his own nonprofit rent from his campaign fund.