There’s a lot going on in the city of New York at the moment. Earlier today, more than a dozen people were injured as a masked criminal opened fire at a train station in Brooklyn. Elsewhere, New York Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for COVID-19 and began working remotely at the Gracie Mansion. Now, it appears that New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin has been taken into police custody after being hit with fraud charges connected to his campaign finances.
Benjamin was arrested after New York authorities investigated claims that the lieutenant governor knowingly engaged in a campaign fraud scheme. A report from NBC News adds that Benjamin is also accused of distributing state funds to those who participated in the fraud scheme.
One of Benjamin’s top fundraisers, Greg Migdol, was arrested in November. Additional reporting from NBC News indicates that Migdol was charged with wire fraud in connection to an alleged campaign fraud scheme linked to the lieutenant governor.
At this time, Benjamin has not publicly addressed any of the allegations levied against him. However, his office did release a statement after Migdol was arrested in November.
“Neither Lieutenant Governor Benjamin nor his campaign are being accused of any wrongdoing and they are prepared to fully cooperate with authorities,” the statement reads.
“As soon as the campaign discovered that these contributions were improperly sourced, they donated them to the Campaign Finance Board, pursuant to guidance obtained from the CFB.”
