New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin has turned himself in to authorities to face charges related to campaign finance fraud in connection with a past campaign, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Benjamin is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan later Tuesday. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office could not be immediately reached for comment on the arrest, nor could a representative for Benjamin.
His arrest comes after reports that Manhattan federal prosecutors and the FBI were investigating whether Benjamin knowingly engaged in a campaign finance fraud scheme. Subpoenas were issued in connection with the investigation, two sources familiar with the subpoenas said at the time.
Investigators also investigated whether Benjamin helped dole out state money to taxpayers and/or their projects as part of the alleged fraud.
A spokesman for the US attorney and an FBI spokesman previously declined WNBC’s requests for comment on the Benjamin investigation.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also did not respond to requests for comment.
Benjamin was appointed Lieutenant Governor by Governor Kathy Hochul in 2021, shortly after losing a primary bid for New York City Comptroller. He previously served as the New York State Senator for the 30th Districtwhich is made up of Harlem, East Harlem (El Barrio), Upper West Side, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights.
The investigation into Benjamin came after the FBI arrested his fundraiser, Gerald Migdol, in November. He is charged with wire fraud in connection with an alleged campaign fraud scheme related to Benjamin’s previous fundraising.
An attorney for Migdol did not respond to requests for comment.
Following confirmation that Benjamin was under investigation, the lieutenant governor’s office referred questions to his Nov. 19 press release issued at the time of Migdol’s arrest in which he said he was prepared to cooperate.
“Neither Lt. Governor Benjamin nor his campaign is being charged with any crime and they are prepared to cooperate fully with authorities,” he said. “As soon as the campaign discovered that these contributions were improperly obtained, they donated them to the Campaign Finance Board, in accordance with guidance obtained from the CFB.”
Details of the investigation were first reported by the Daily News and later by the New York Times.
NEW YORK POLITICAL SCANDALS
Benjamin’s arrest is just the latest scandal in the New York political arena.
Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the state’s most powerful politicians for decades before being impeached and sent to prison on corruption charges, also fell from grace for misconduct.
Silver, who passed away behind bars earlier this year, was at one point one of the three most powerful state officials in New York. He was the leader of the Assembly for more than two decades before his abrupt ouster in 2015 after allegations of corruption surfaced.
Ultimately, he was convicted of a scheme involving a type of illegal back scratching that has plagued Albany for a long time. He supported legislation that benefited the real estate developers he knew. In return, they referred the tax business to a law firm he hired from Silver, which then paid him the fees.
Additionally, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also faced a political scandal that led him to resign amid sexual harassment allegations.
While Cuomo resigned last year, it appears he is contemplating a political comeback and raising the possibility that he could run for his previous job just six months after he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.
Cuomo delivered a campaign-style speech in March to a friendly audience of about 100 people in the Bronx, where he framed his fall from power as a “cancel culture” riot.
Asked after his speech if he would run for office, Cuomo told reporters he is “open to all options.” He also commented on a recent poll that showed him competitive in a hypothetical New York primary, saying he found the results “rewarding, but I’ve never lived by the polls.”
Below is a list of other high-ranking New York officials who have resigned or faced jail time in the wake of the scandal:
- October 17, 1913 – In the history of the state, only one governor has been impeached. William Sulzer, New York’s 39th governor, had been in office for less than a year before being accused of failing to report thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and commingling campaign funds with personal funds. He was convicted by a special court and removed from office on October 17, 1913.
- December 22, 2006 – New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigns and pleads guilty to one felony charge of defrauding the government; subsequent charges result in a prison sentence.
- March 12, 2008 – Governor Eliot Spitzer announces his resignation, as of March 17, after being caught in a prostitution bust in Washington, DC. (His successor, David Paterson, had several scandals of his own, including accusations of perjury, witness tampering, and even rumors of drug and sexual affairs that were never proven, but did not lead to his resignation.)
- July 18, 2008 – New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno resigns his seat in the Senate, after resigning as Senate leader on June 24, amid federal corruption charges; he later convicted of two felonies. The United States Supreme Court overturned his conviction; a subsequent retrial resulted in acquittal.
- June 20, 2011 – Former US Rep. Anthony Weiner, once a rising star in the Democratic Party who served nearly 12 years in Congress, had a dramatic and sordid fall from grace after he posted a lewd photo of himself on Twitter in 2011 and resigned. after the behavior came to light.
- January 30, 2015 – Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York State Assembly resigns as president as of February 2, following his arrest on federal corruption charges. Later that year, he is convicted of seven counts. Although that conviction was overturned, he was convicted again in a subsequent trial. He is currently in a federal prison.
- May 11, 2015 – Dean Skelos down from his post as Majority Leader of the New York State Senate, a week after his arrest on federal corruption charges along with his son. Later that year, he was convicted and automatically lost his seat. An appeals court overturned his conviction, but he was found guilty again in a new trial. Last year he was released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest after testing positive for COVID.
- May 7, 2018 – New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigns hours after the New Yorker published an article detailing allegations of physical abuse.
Reference-www.nbcnewyork.com