New York Lieutenant Governor Arrested Over Alleged Scheme To Funnel Funds To Real Estate Investor

New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested over bribery charges Tuesday, with prosecutors claiming he schemed to direct state funds to a Harlem real estate investor in exchange for illegal donations.

Benjamin, Gov. Kathy Hochul's second in command, is facing a five-count indictment, per The New York Times, and surrendered to authorities Tuesday morning. He pleaded not guilty in federal court and was released on bail set a $250K, according to the Associated Press. 

He stands accused of bribery, fraud and falsification of records, with the prosecutors claiming he conspired to direct the money to the investor — Gerald Migdol — as part of his unsuccessful bid for New York City comptroller last year. Specifically, Benjamin is accused of planning to provide a $50K state grant to Migdol’s nonprofit in return for the fraudulent donations.

“In so doing, Benjamin abused his authority as a New York State senator, engaging in a bribery scheme using public funds for his own corrupt purposes,” prosecutors said in the indictment.

Migdol was arrested in November, and he is accused of making donations on behalf of people who had not agreed to them, including for a child. Migdol was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. While Benjamin was not named in that particular indictment, there was speculation at the time that he had been the recipient.

The City news organization reported in January that at least three men were listed in campaign finance records as donors to Benjamin's campaign, though they said they had no idea who Benjamin was and had not authorized the payments.

Migdol’s company, The Migdol Organization, is based in Harlem and owns and runs residential properties in the city, per The City. The company website describes itself as providing “specialized services in housing, development, social work and law”.

As a state senator, Benjamin had represented District 30, which covers Harlem, East Harlem, the Upper West Side, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights. Hochul said at a press conference to address the shooting in Brooklyn this morning that she would be making a statement on Benjamin's arrest later in the day, AP reported.