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New York Lieutenant Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested Tuesday and resigned after being indicted for alleged bribery and other offenses, as part of what federal prosecutors say was a “scheme” to get campaign contributions in exchange for a $50,000 state grant. Gov. Kathy Hochul accepted his resignation immediately.
The indictment also alleges that Benjamin and others worked to “cover up” the plot, engaging “in a series of lies and deception.”
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According to the indictment, from 2019 through 2021, Benjamin carried out the scheme while he was a state senator and a candidate for state comptroller. During that time, Benjamin allegedly solicited campaign donations from and to be raised by a real estate developer, in exchange for appropriating state funds for the developer’s non-profit organization.
Lieutenant Governor of New York Brian Benjamin speaks in New York, on Jan. 16, 2022. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
In order to hide this, the indictment says, Benjamin allegedly falsified campaign donor forms, and in 2021 when he was being vetted for the lieutenant governor job, he falsely stated in that he had never “directly exercised” his authority as an official “concerning a matter of a donor [he] directly solicited.”
Benjamin is facing charges of bribery, conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and falsification of records. The various offenses carry maximum penalties ranging between five and 20 years in prison.
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Prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of the funds involved or, alternatively, “any other property of the defendant up to the value of the forfeitable property.”
New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin speaks during the 2022 New York State Democratic Convention at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on Feb. 17, 2022 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is expected to address the case at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, along with officials from the FBI and the New York City Department of Investigation.