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Federal investigators have issued subpoenas to former marketing campaign advisers of New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin and the state Senate, making an attempt to find out whether or not he had a hand in funneling fraudulent donations to his failed comptroller bid, based on reviews.
The subpoenas come 4 months after the federal indictment of Manhattan actual property developer Gerald Migdol, Benjamin’s longtime affiliate, who’s accused of funneling fraudulent contributions to Benjamin’s 2021 marketing campaign for New York Metropolis comptroller in an try and qualify for town’s matching funds program, which doles out $8 from public cash for each $1 raised privately, the New York Each day Information reported.
ANDREW CUOMO CONSIDERING RUN AGAINST HOCHUL: REPORT
State Senator Brian Benjamin pumps his fist as he celebrates throughout a press convention saying him as Lt. Governor on August 26, 2021, in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photos)
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Migdol pleaded not responsible to costs of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated id theft. If convicted, he faces a most of 20 years in jail on the wire fraud cost alone, The New York Instances reported.
Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York have issued a number of grand jury subpoenas to members of Benjamin’s marketing campaign committee, searching for fundraising data and communications associated to Migdol, The Instances reported.
New York, N.Y.: New York Governor Kathy Hochul and State Senator Brian Benjamin are seen at a press convention in Harlem in New York Metropolis on August 26, 2021. (Photograph by Chris Ware/Newsday RM by way of Getty Photos)
Prosecutors are additionally searching for data from the state Senate, the place Benjamin served from 2017 till summer time 2021, when he was tapped to be second-in-command to Gov. Kathy Hochul, The Instances reported.
The lieutenant governor was not named within the indictment and has not weighed in on the brand new developments, as a substitute directing The Instances and the Each day Information to an earlier assertion that was launched upon Migdol’s arrest in November.
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“Neither Lt. Gov. Benjamin nor his marketing campaign are being accused of any wrongdoing, and they’re ready to completely cooperate with authorities,” Benjamin’s spokesman stated.
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Moments before New York Marine veteran Daniel Penny placed the erratic Jordan Neely in a chokehold that proved fatal, the emotionally disturbed homeless man raised his fists in the middle of a subway car while shouting at passengers, a witness testified Thursday.
Moriela Sanchez, an 18-year-old from Harlem, said she was taking the train home from school when chaos broke out.
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Neely, 30, threw his jacket down and squared up, she testified on day 11 of what is expected to be a six-week trial in New York City.
“If no one gives him water or food, he’s gonna start putting hands on people,” she said. “He was going to start attacking.”
TEEN WITNESS TO JORDAN NEELY CHOKEHOLD TESTIFIES SHE WAS ‘SCARED’ BY HIS SHOUTING, WANTED TO ‘GET AWAY’
Daniel Penny arrives for opening arguments in his trial at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on Nov. 1, 2024. Penny, a Marine veteran, is charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train.(Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)
She added that he was shouting it at everyone on the train car, not any specific rider. Despite the aggression, he did not touch anyone, she added.
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“After that, Penny started putting his hands around his neck – and after that he dropped him down so he was closed off from attacking people,” Sanchez testified. “Penny dropped down on his back, and Jordan was on top of him.”
DANIEL PENNY TRIAL: MEET THE JURORS WHO WILL DECIDE MARINE VETERAN’S FATE IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD CASE
Screenshot from bystander video showing Jordan Neely being held in a chokehold on the New York City subway. (Luces de Nueva York/Juan Alberto Vazquez via Storyful)
She said that she believed that Penny was doing it to stop Neely from attacking people.
She got off at the next stop and called 911. She said Penny still had Neely in a chokehold at that time. She noted that a second man, whom she described as a Black male wearing a hat, helped Penny hold Neely down during the encounter.
Under cross-examination, she said “yes” when asked if she felt a sense of relief after Penny placed Neely in a headlock, but she contradicted her own grand jury testimony when she said it looked like Penny was squeezing Neely’s neck. She said it did on Thursday. She said the opposite during the grand jury proceedings.
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Her previous grand jury testimony was read in court. She was asked, “Did it look like the white man was squeezing the black man’s neck?”
“No, he was holding him down so he wouldn’t attack nobody,” she said.
This was the first time in my life that I took a moment because I was scared that I was going to die in that moment.
— Kaydren Schrunk, witness
The next witness was Kaydren Schrunk, a Nike senior brand manager who lives in Brooklyn and was on her way to meet a friend for coffee when Neely died.
She testified that Neely was shouting in the middle of the train, making threatening gestures. He smelled like “soiled sweatpants” and she feared he might have a gun or a knife, although she didn’t see one.
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A still image from NYPD bodycam video shows responding officers examining Jordan Neely, who is on the ground after Daniel Penny placed him in a chokehold. Penny is on trial facing charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.(NYPD)
“It was a scent that took over the subway – it was like physically soiled sweatpants,” she said. “Mr. Neely may not have been showering appropriately – it was a very strong odor and his sweatpants were definitely soiled.”
She could not remember exactly what he was saying, but testified that he was making life-threatening statements.
“This was the first time in my life that I took a moment because I was scared that I was going to die in that moment,” she said.
Penny intervened with a takedown “at the highest level of the outburst,” she said, testifying that his arm was across Neely’s chest. Two other men helped him hold Neely down, she said.
This undated photo, provided by Mills and Edwards, LLP, in New York, Friday, May 12, 2023, shows Jordan Neely, left, with Carolyn Neely, an aunt.(Courtesy Mills & Edwards, LLP via AP)
Next to testify was Johnny Grima, a 40-year-old Bronx resident who is unemployed but spends time working with the homeless. He served 13 months behind bars for bashing someone over the head with a baseball bat – but he claimed on the witness stand he didn’t do it.
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Grima said he didn’t see the start of the altercation but arrived after the train’s stopped and watched Penny let go of Neely, who was limp at the time.
Grima testified that he said outloud that they shouldn’t leave Neely on his back while unconscious. He should be on his side so he wouldn’t choke.
Grima, who poured water on Neely’s head, testified that Penny was “flinging Neely’s limbs around carelessly” as he repositioner him on the subway car floor.
After jurors left for lunch, Penny’s defense team took issue with how objections were handled during Grima’ testimony. Judge Maxwell Wiley said he believes that Grima’s “bias” was clear to the jury but that he still had relevant testimony to give.
A court sketch depicts Juan Alberto Vazquez testifying on the second day of testimony in Daniel Penny’s trial at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on Monday, November 4, 2024. Penny, a Marine veteran, is on trial for the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on the New York City subway.(Jane Rosenberg )
The trial resumed after lunch with testimony from the prosecution’s 14 witness, an NYPD 911 technician named Paula Williams. She testified about how the NYPD archives and organizes 911 calls, and described the first four calls that came in on the day of Neely’s death.
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Then the court heard the first recording aloud, although it was partly muffled.
“Someone started acting crazy on the train talking about hes ready to go to jail hes gonna hurt someone so someone took him down with a chokehold,” the caller said.
“Is there a weapon?” the dispatcher replied.
Protestors gather calling for Justice for Jordan Neely outside of the trial of Daniel Penny at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on Friday, November 1, 2024. Today is the first day of opening statements in Penny’s trial, where he is charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train.(Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)
“Ma’am no, but this guys got him in a restraint,” the caller said.
Witness 15 was NYPD Officer Isatu Cesay, who responded to the scene and took the stand in uniform.
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She said that by the time she arrived, Neely was unconscious and did not appear to be breathing. He did not have a pulse when she checked sometime later.
She said she asked Penny, “Did you see what happened?”
“Yeah,” he replied, according to her testimony. “The guy came on the train throwing s— and saying he was ready to die and go to jail for life. I put him in a chokehold and took him to the ground…I had him pretty good.”
Prosecutors then played her bodycam in court which showed a similar conversation.
Under cross-examination, she testified that other officers found a pulse before she checked herself and there wasn’t one.
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Manhattan prosecutors say that Penny went too far and negligently caused Neely’s death. The defense argues that his actions were justified defense.
Penny, who is a 25-year-old Marine Corps veteran and college student majoring in architecture, could face up to 19 years in prison if convicted.
Neely had a history of mental illness and criminality, including a prior charge for assaulting a 67-year-old New York City woman in 2021.
This is a developing story. Stick with Fox News Digital for updates.
BOSTON (AP) — Backup quarterback Grayson James threw an 18-yard touchdown to tight end Jeremiah Franklin on a fourth-and-1 play late in the game, and Boston College held off Syracuse 37-31 on Saturday in the 100th anniversary of the schools’ first meeting.
The Eagles (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) rushed for 313 yards, halting a three-game losing streak and moving a win away from bowl eligibility in coach Bill O’Brien’s first season.
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Kye Robichaux ran for 198 yards and 2 TDs, and Jordan McDonald had 133 yards with a score for BC. James completed 5 for 6 passes for 51 yards.
Kyle McCord went 31-of-48 for 392 yards and two TDs for Syracuse (6-3, 3-3).
BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos limped off the field after the opening drive in the third quarter. He had completed just 2-of-7 passes for 14 yards with a TD and interception.
McDonald’s 13-yard score gave the Eagles a 30-21 edge late in the third.
McCord’s second TD pass, a 12-yarder to Darrell Gill Jr. early in the fourth, sliced it to 30-28 before James’ pass to a wide-open Franklin over the middle.
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Syracuse erased an early 14-point deficit and took the lead on LeQuint Allen’s second TD run of the game, a 4-yarder midway into the third quarter.
BC answered back, tying it on Robichaux’s 14-yard run three plays later.
Coming off a frustrating loss against Louisville when they blew a 20-0 lead before a bye week, the Eagles started fast, opening the two-touchdown lead on Castellanos’ 9-yard TD pass to Lewis Bond midway into the second.
CONSOLATION SCORE
The Eagles took a 23-21 lead on a safety when defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku — part of a group sack that forced McCord’s fumble deep in Syracuse territory — kicked the ball and it went through the back of the end zone as he was trying to pick it up.
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TAKEAWAYS
Syracuse: It was second straight week that the Orange fell into an early hole. This time, the explosive offense led by McCord couldn’t bail them out because their run defense was terrible.
Boston College: The offense became one-dimensional in the opening half when the Eagles threw for just 14 yards. Castellanos had success running last season, but teams seem to have caught up and seems he broke through are closed.
UP NEXT
Syracuse: At California next Saturday.
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Boston College: At No. 13 SMU next Saturday.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have released running back Jonathan Ward from their active roster, the team announced. Ward was added to the 53-man roster two weeks ago to play special teams and replace Cordarrelle Patterson’s roles on special teams.
Ward played a combined 84 special teams snaps across four phases during Patterson’s absence from an ankle injury. However, Patterson is back this week against the Washington Commanders and should help give the Steelers offense and special teams a boost.
The Steelers first signed Ward after a rookie minicamp tryout. He used up all three practice squad elevations before signing to the active roster. Now, Ward could re-sign to the Steelers’ practice squad after his release. Pittsburgh has a full 17-player roster on their practice squad, so if he returns to the unit, a move must be made to accommodate Ward.
The only other running back the Steelers have on the practice squad is Aaron Shampklin. They came into the season with five running backs, with two on the practice squad.
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