Lt. Gov. Benjamin Resigns: Effective Immediately, Hours after He was Arrested for Campaign Finance Scheme

By Yehudit Garmaise

Lieutenant Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned: effective immediately, after he was arrested this morning for bribing a Harlem investor for redirecting thousands of dollars of illegal campaign contributions to his failed campaign for NYC comptroller.

“While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul, who accepted Benjamin’s resignation. “New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them."

Early Tuesday morning, Lt. Gov. Brian A. Benjamin, Gov. Kathy Hochul,’s second-in-command, surrendered early to police on federal charges that while serving as a NY state senator, he bribed Gerald Migdol, a Harlem real estate investor to redirect thousands of dollars of illegal campaign contributions to a previous campaign.

Gov. Hochul, who does not appear to have been aware of Benjamin’s alleged criminal conduct, ironically promised to end an era of impropriety and corruption in Albany, when she took office last summer, after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace.

While Gov. Hochul currently leads Democratic candidate in polls, she was likely happy to drop Benjamin, who has been looking more and more like a liability as a running mate since November 2021, when Migdol provided information to federal prosecutors after he was arrested for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and other charges related to his associations with the lieutenant governor.

Photo: Flickr