Lt. Gov. Benjamin Resigns Following Campaign Finance Indictment

The indictment — the results of an investigation by the federal prosecutors, the F.B.I. and town’s Division of Investigation — accused Mr. Benjamin of subsequently participating in a “collection of lies and deceptions to cowl up the scheme,” together with falsifying marketing campaign donation kinds, deceptive New York Metropolis authorities and giving false info as a part of a background verify to grow to be lieutenant governor final yr.

Earlier within the day, Mr. Benjamin pleaded not responsible at a quick look in Federal District Court docket in Decrease Manhattan, and was launched on $250,000 bond underneath phrases that might require him to get particular permission to journey to Albany. He left the courthouse with out remark.

The governor, showing at a information convention in Brooklyn on a mass subway capturing, initially declined to deal with Mr. Benjamin’s arrest. Attorneys for Mr. Benjamin, James D. Gatta and William J. Harrington, additionally initially declined to remark.

Mr. Benjamin mentioned final week that he had been cooperating with investigators, after information shops, together with The New York Instances, reported particulars of the investigation. Accompanied by his attorneys, the lieutenant governor met with prosecutors final week, in keeping with an individual conversant in the matter, and his prime aides had been privately reassuring allies that he anticipated to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

However on the information convention, Mr. Williams — who introduced the fees with Michael J. Driscoll, the assistant director accountable for the New York F.B.I. workplace, and Jocelyn E. Strauber, commissioner of town’s Division of Investigation — laid out an audacious corruption scheme. The indictment accused Mr. Benjamin of bribing Mr. Migdol to assist safe small contributions for his comptroller race that could possibly be used to acquire tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in public matching funds by means of a metropolis program.

Prosecutors mentioned that Mr. Benjamin first approached Mr. Migdol for assist in March 2019, months earlier than he introduced a marketing campaign for comptroller. In a gathering at Mr. Migdol’s house, the developer instructed Mr. Benjamin that it could be difficult to assist as a result of the pool of doable contributors he would flip to was the identical one which he wanted to solicit to assist his personal charity, Associates of Public Faculty Harlem, a gaggle recognized for giving out faculty provides and groceries to needy households.

“Let me see what I can do,” Mr. Benjamin replied, in keeping with the indictment.

Within the months that adopted, prosecutors mentioned, the politician proceeded to make use of his State Senate workplace to safe a $50,000 taxpayer-funded training grant for the charity that Mr. Migdol had by no means requested, and used it as leverage to press Mr. Migdol to assemble contributions.