Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin charged in alleged bribery scheme

Hochul's second-in-command will still likely appear on November's ballot [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [Ad: Until the wild is truly free, never rest. click here to learn more from earth justice]( Advertisement NY Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin charged in alleged bribery scheme [By Jon Campbell and Brigid Bergin]( [a close-up of Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin] Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested Tuesday in connection with a bribery scheme in which federal prosecutors say he directed a state grant to a Harlem nonprofit in exchange for numerous donations to his political campaigns. The five-count indictment relies on testimony from an unnamed co-conspirator that matches the description of Harlem real-estate investor Gerald Migdol, who was arrested separately last year related to an alleged campaign finance scheme. According to the 23-page indictment, the alleged conduct dates back to May or June of 2019, when Benjamin first met with the co-conspirator to discuss his plan to run for city comptroller and ask for donations. Within weeks, Benjamin had secured a $50,000 state grant for a nonprofit run by the co-conspirator. About two weeks later, the co-conspirator gave Benjamin — then a state senator — three checks totaling $25,000 for his Senate campaign from people the co-conspirator was connected with, according to the indictment. He went on to gather numerous smaller donations for Benjamin's comptroller campaign in an attempt to boost public matching funds from the city, prosecutors allege. Prosecutors also accused Benjamin of falsifying records while he was being vetted for lieutenant governor last year. When asked on a vetting form whether he had ever "directly exercised [his] governmental authority ... concerning a matter of a donor [he] directly solicited," Benjamin answered that he had not. The arrest of Gov. Kathy Hochul's second-in-command comes amid a critical time for the governor, who is now focused on a re-election campaign days after passing her first state budget. Because Benjamin was named the Democratic Party's nominee for lieutenant governor at [this year's party convention]( his name will most likely appear on the same party line as Hochul's on the November ballot. Benjamin was previously subpoenaed in connection to Migdol's arrest, and just last week, Hochul stood behind him when he admitted he did not personally inform her of subpoenas related to the probe before she appointed him. "I have the utmost confidence in my lieutenant governor," Hochul said last Thursday. "This is an independent investigation related to other people, and he is fully cooperating." Speaking at a news conference early Tuesday afternoon on the Brooklyn subway shooting that happened earlier in the day, Hochul said she would issue a statement about Benjamin's arrest soon. "This is not the place, but I will be addressing it very shortly," she said. "Let's focus on the fact that there are people in hospital right now, fighting for their lives. Those are the people we're thinking about and praying for at this moment." --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: as a national legal non-profit. no one fights more cases for the environment. click here to learn more about earth justice]( Advertisement --------------------------------------------------------------- For Further Reading [a voter shares her thoughts on Mayor Adams at a bus stop in Harlem] GRADING MAYOR ADAMS [New Yorkers weigh in on Mayor Adams' first 100 days in office]( We asked 15 New Yorkers across the five boroughs how they feel about the mayor's record on his pledge to improve public safety, and what they want to see him accomplish with the rest of his term. [a close-up of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis] MYSTERY MONEY ['Dark money' nonprofit funds campaign against Rep. Nicole Malliotakis]( This spending from a Democratic group could signal a sequel for the role that dark money played in the last election in the 11th Congressional District, which is considered one of the city's few swing districts. [Gov. Kathy Hochul holds up a champagne glass] WHERE YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING [5 things to know about New York's tardy budget deal]( New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a state budget deal on Thursday that will make changes to the state’s cash bail system, legalize to-go cocktails at restaurants and relax the state’s gas tax for much of the rest of the year. [voters and poll workers inside a polling place] SAME CANDIDATE, EXTRA PARTY LINE [Gov. Hochul says she's fine with the Democrats adding her to an extra party line]( City & State reports that because GOP candidates appear on both the Republican and Conservative party lines on statewide general election ballots, the Democratic Party wants to add a second party line for the sake of parity. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: Until the wild is truly free, never rest. click here to learn more from earth justice]( Advertisement [the logo for the Brian Lehrer politics podcast] [The comptroller's first 100 days]( Comptroller Brad Lander weighs in on the mayor's efforts to combat crime in the city, and where things stand following the Sunset Park subway shooting. [LISTEN FOR FREE]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. 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