New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested Tuesday for an alleged campaign finance scam tied to his days in the state Senate, federal officials confirmed to The Post.
Benjamin, who Gov. Kathy Hochul chose in August as her No. 2 and running mate for this year’s election, faces a federal bribery conspiracy indictment in connection with a scheme to funnel phony campaign contributions to his unsuccessful bid for city comptroller, according to a Southern District of New York indictment.
Federal prosecutors announced a 12 p.m. press conference to discuss Benjamin’s indictment.
Benjamin — a Democratic former state senator who represented parts of Harlem —admitted to The Post last month that he was questioned by the feds amid a reported probe into whether he was involved in a scheme to illegally funnel contributions to his 2021 bid to serve as the city’s chief financial officer.
![Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin surrendered to federal authorities Tuesday morning.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/brian-benjamin-arrested-04.jpg?w=1024)
![Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested Tuesday for an alleged campaign finance scam tied to his days in the state Senate.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/brian-benjamin-arrested-01.jpg?w=1024)
Benjamin spoke with federal prosecutors about conspiracy and wire fraud charges filed in November against Harlem landlord and lawyer Gerald Migdol, who is accused of making illegal, “straw” donations to Benjamin’s campaign.
In November, Migdol was arrested for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to funnel illegal campaign contributions to Benjamin’s 2021 Democratic comptroller primary bid. Migdol made contributions by money order in names that were not his own and reimbursed donors who gave money to a comptroller candidate from 2019 to 2021, according to the indictment.
The New York Times first reported on the indictment.
![Gerald Migdol was arrested for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to funnel illegal campaign contributions to Benjamin’s 2021 Democratic comptroller primary bid.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/Gerald-Migdol.jpg?w=1024)
![Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senator Brian Benjamin at the special announcement naming Senator Benjamin as the Lieutenant Governor.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/brian-benjamin-arrested-07.jpg?w=1024)
Ahead of the indictment, political experts told The Post that Hochul faced a major decision on whether to keep Benjamin on the ticket, following the revelation that Benjamin was under federal investigation in the alleged campaign finance scheme. A report last month revealed that Manhattan federal prosecutors issued several grand jury subpoenas late last year for fundraising records related to Migdol and several associates from Benjamin’s campaign committee, several paid staffers and consulting firms.
The investigation sought to determine how deeply Benjamin was involved in his campaign’s fundraising operation.
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