NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Lt. Gov. Brian A. Benjamin surrendered early Tuesday morning to face a federal bribery conspiracy indictment in connection with a scheme to funnel fraudulent donations to a previous campaign.
The indictment, the result of an investigation by the F.B.I. and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, accused Benjamin of conspiring to direct state funds to a Harlem real estate investor in exchange for orchestrating thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to his unsuccessful 2021 campaign for New York City comptroller.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Benjamin was arrested on charges of bribery, honest services wire fraud and falsification of records.
Benjamin, formerly a state senator from Harlem, had joined the administration of Gov. Kathy Hochul in September, chosen by her to fill her former job a couple of weeks after she stepped into the governorship following the resignation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations.
But just over two months later, a real estate developer who steered campaign contributions toward Benjamin’s failed bid for New York City comptroller was indicted.
Federal authorities accused Gerald Migdol of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in illegally giving donations to Benjamin’s campaign.
Prosecutors had previously not made any accusations against Benjamin, and his campaign said at the time of Migdol’s arrest that it had forfeited any improper donations as soon as they were discovered.
More recently, reports came out saying subpoenas had been issued to Benjamin regarding the financial issues even before Hochul picked him as lieutenant governor.
Despite her saying she didn’t know of the subpoenas at the time, Hochul proclaimed her support for Benjamin, and he said he had told state police as they went though the process of vetting him.
“I have utmost confidence in my lieutenant governor,” Hochul said during a Thursday press conference. “This is an independent investigation related to other people and he’s fully cooperating. He is my running mate.”
In response to Tuesday's indictment, New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy accused Hochul of "[turning] a blind eye" by putting "him a heartbeat away from the governorship."
“In her first major decision as governor, Kathy Hochul chose a dirty politician to serve as her partner in government and running mate," he said in a statement. "Brian Benjamin’s shady dealings and corruption were well-documented, but Hochul turned a blind eye and put him a heartbeat away from the governorship."
He added, "This decision was not just dangerous incompetence, it is proof that her tolerance for corruption runs deep in her veins, which is no surprise given she dutifully served with Andrew Cuomo for seven years. Just days ago, she continued to say she had ‘full confidence in him.’ She does not possess the judgment nor the moral code to serve as governor. The only way to wipe clean the Cuomo-Hochul stench is to throw the entire corrupt cabal out of office this November."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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