USA: New York Lieutenant Gov. Brian Benjamin surrendered to authorities on Tuesday after he was indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and falsification of records.
According to prosecutors, Benjamin concocted a “scheme” to get campaign contributions in exchange for a $50,000 state grant.
The indictment also alleges that Benjamin and others worked to “cover up” the corrupt plot, engaging “in a series of lies and deception.”
The investigators also looked into whether Benjamin helped dole out state money to contributors and/or their projects as part of the alleged fraud.
Fox reports: According to the indictment, from 2019 through 2021, Benjamin carried out the scheme while he was a state senator and a candidate for state comptroller.
During that time, Benjamin allegedly solicited campaign donations from and to be raised by a real estate developer, win exchange for appropriating state funds for the developer’s non-profit organization.
In order to hide this, the indictment says, Benjamin allegedly falsified campaign donor forms, and in 2021 when he was being vetted for the lieutenant governor job, he provided falsely stated in that he had never “directly exercised” his authority as an official “concerning a matter of a donor [he] directly solicited.”
Benjamin is facing charges of bribery, conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and falsification of records. The various offenses carry maximum penalties ranging between five and 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of the funds involved or, alternatively, “any other property of the defendant up to the value of the forfeitable property.”
Damian Williams,, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is expected to address the case at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, along with officials from the FBI and the New York City Department of Investigation.
by Baxter Dmitry
Join: 👉 https://t.me/acnewspatriots
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AC.NEWS
Disclaimer: This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). AC.News will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article www.ac.news websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner. Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Discussion about this post