New York’s Lieutenant Governor Denies Wrongdoing After Indictment In Federal Bribery Case

New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, the state’s second-in-command to Gov. Kathy Hochul, surrendered to authorities Tuesday on bribery, fraud and falsification of records charges.

Benjamin, 45, was appointed by Hochul in September 2021 after serving as a New York state senator. The indictment involves conspiring to direct state funds to a real estate investor in Harlem for illegal campaign contributions to his New York City comptroller campaign while he was a state senator.

Benjamin took part "in a scheme to obtain campaign contributions from a real estate developer in exchange for Benjamin's agreement to use . . . his official authority and influence as a New York State senator to obtain a $50,000 grant of state funds for a non-profit organization . . ." the indictment reads.

The indictment also accuses him of "a series of lies and deceptions . . . including falsifying campaign donor forms, misleading municipal regulators, and providing false information in vetting forms," for when he was being considered to be appointed lieutenant governor.

According to the indictment, the federal program bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The honest services wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The conspiracy to commit those offenses carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. The two counts of falsification of records each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Benjamin has maintained his innocence and long-time cooperation with investigators in statements to reporters last week.

A statement from Benjamin's campaign to CNN said he was "prepared to fully cooperate with authorities. As soon as the campaign discovered that these contributions were improperly sourced, they donated them to the Campaign Finance Board, pursuant to guidance obtained from the CFB."

Benjamin told Politico before his arrest that he "provided all information" to investigators and would "continue to do so if they have any further requests."

There was no immediate comment from Benjamin or Hochul. Both Benjamin and Hochul are Democrats in a strong blue state.

The indictment presents a challenge for Hochul's reelection campaign. Benjamin would be her running mate for reelection, and she has stood by him amid the recent allegations.

"I have utmost confidence in my lieutenant governor. This is an independent investigation related to other people, and he’s fully cooperating," she told reporters last week.

Benjamin is still on the election ballot for the June primary for state elections in New York and it will be hard to remove him, for Hochul to select a new running mate.

The scandal comes after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned over multiple scandals including undercounting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and allegations of sexual harassment. After Cuomo left office, Hochul promised she would help to clean up the culture in Albany.