New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin has been indicted on charges including bribery and related offenses in connection with his alleged participation in a scheme to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for securing a state grant, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, held a news conference on the indictment of the Democratic official selected to replace New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, when she moved up following the resignation of disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
At the time Cuomo resigned from office amidst numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, he was the longest-serving governor still in the job in the United States.
Benjamin was indicted on multiple counts, including bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud and two counts of falsification of records, for an alleged conspiracy that took place while he was a state senator.
A source familiar with the matter says Benjamin turned himself into authorities Tuesday morning.
Before being appointed by Hochul, Benjamin was elected to the New York State Senate in a May 2017 special election. He represented New York’s 30th State Senate district from 2017 to 2021.
During his Senate tenure, Benjamin served as the senior assistant majority leader of the Senate and as chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Revenue.
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