New York lieutenant governor resigns after bribery charges
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[April 13, 2022] By
Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York Lieutenant
Governor Brian Benjamin, the state's No. 2 official after Governor Kathy
Hochul, resigned on Tuesday after being charged with bribery and fraud
for allegedly directing state funds toward a real estate developer in
exchange for campaign contributions.
Hochul, who handpicked Benjamin for the lieutenant governor's job last
August, announced the resignation a few hours after the 45-year-old
Benjamin pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to charges in a
five-count indictment.
"While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he
cannot continue to serve as lieutenant governor," Hochul said in a
statement. "New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government,
and I will continue working every day to deliver for them."
Benjamin's resignation is effective immediately, Hochul said. Lawyers
for Benjamin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors said Benjamin in 2019 directed a $50,000 state grant to a
non-profit controlled by the developer from the Harlem section of
Manhattan, which Benjamin represented at the time as a state senator.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Apr/13/images/ads/current/sunag_daily_sda_SFARM_2022.png)
The developer then sent Benjamin's reelection campaign thousands of
dollars through several checks in the names of relatives and a limited
liability company, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said the developer also raised money for Benjamin's
unsuccessful 2021 run to become New York City's comptroller.
"Taxpayer money for campaign contributions. Quid pro quo. This for that.
That's corruption," said Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney in
Manhattan. "Public corruption remains a problem in New York. It is a
bipartisan problem. It is an ongoing problem."
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![](../images/041322PIX/news_k63.jpg)
New York State Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin who has been
arrested and charged with bribery and fraud for allegedly directing
state funds to a group controlled by a real estate developer who was
a campaign donor, leaves a courthouse in New York, U.S., April 12,
2022. REUTERS/Dieu-Nalio Chery
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Apr/13/images/ads/current/lcc_lda_EASTER_2022.png) The Harlem real estate developer was
not identified by name in the indictment.
Just over two months after Benjamin became
lieutenant governor, real estate developer Gerald Migdol was
criminally charged with steering illegal campaign contributions to
an unnamed candidate for city comptroller. Migdol pleaded not
guilty.
Benjamin faces charges including bribery, wire fraud and
falsification of records. His case and Migdol's are in the same case
file.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang released Benjamin on $250,000 bond,
and imposed travel restrictions that left him unable to travel to
Albany, New York's state capital, without permission from
authorities.
Benjamin is next due to appear in court on April 19.
The charges could complicate Hochul's reelection bid in November.
Hochul, a Democrat who had been lieutenant governor, replaced Andrew
Cuomo as governor last August, when he resigned following an inquiry
that found that he had sexually harassed 11 women.
She faces challenges from New York City Comptroller Jumaane Williams
and Long Island U.S. Congressman Tom Suozzi for Democratic
gubernatorial nomination.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and Bill
Berkrot)
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