UNITED STATES NEWS

Bribery, fraud charges dropped against former New York Lt. Governor

Jan 17, 2025, 4:20 PM

FILE - Former New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin leaves a hearing in federal court in New ...

FILE - Former New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin leaves a hearing in federal court in New York, April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Kevin Hagen, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in New York dropped bribery and fraud charges on Friday against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, citing the death of a cooperating witness against the Democrat who the governor had once chosen to be her second-in-command.

Judge J. Paul Oetken signed an order closing the case against Benjamin after prosecutors told him in a letter that a review of evidence in the case led them to conclude they could no longer prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt after the death of co-defendant Gerald Migdol.

Migdol died on Feb. 9, 2024. The Harlem real estate developer had pleaded guilty in 2022, admitting that he organized tens of thousands of dollars in fake contributions from 2019 to 2021 as Benjamin was campaigning to be city comptroller, a race he lost.

Benjamin resigned as lieutenant governor after his April 2022 arrest.

“Today’s vindication of Brian Benjamin is a timely reminder of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,’” Benjamin’s lawyers said in a statement on Friday. “It has been a great honor to represent Brian and we always believed this day would come.”

The arrest created a political crisis for Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul after she had chosen Benjamin as her second-in-command.

She took the state’s top elected post after a sexual harassment scandal drove from office her predecessor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

Previously, Benjamin had served on the state Legislature, representing most of central Harlem.

United States News

In this still image from video provided by the Second Judicial District Court multiple people brawl...

Associated Press

New Mexico courtroom devolves into brawl as men rush defendant in homicide case

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A routine hearing in a New Mexico state courtroom devolved into chaos when two people rushed the defendant in a murder case, setting off a brawl with flying fists and kicks. Courtroom video cameras recorded the Jan. 31 melee that has resulted in felony charges against two men who apparently rushed […]

1 hour ago

President Donald Trump attends the National Prayer Breakfast at Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6...

Associated Press

Are government-paid media subscriptions a ‘scandal’? That’s what Donald Trump is now asserting

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal government payments to news outlets like Politico, The New York Times and The Associated Press for subscriptions or to license content are in the crosshairs of Trump administration spending hawks, with the president on Thursday calling it potentially “THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Former college adjunct professor gets 8 years in prison for sexually abusing women from El Salvador

NEW YORK (AP) — A former City College chemistry adjunct professor was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for sexually abusing three women from El Salvador after convincing them to travel to the U.S. for a better life. Jorge Alberto Ramos, 45, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge John G. Koeltl. He […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Trump administration plans to slash all but a fraction of USAID jobs, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands. Two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID official told The Associated Press of the […]

3 hours ago

Law officials escort a suspect from an apartment to a waiting utility vehicle for transport during ...

Associated Press

US border czar blames leaks for hindering immigration raids in Colorado suburb spotlighted by Trump

DENVER (AP) — Donald Trump’s border czar on Thursday blamed news media leaks for hindering a large-scale operation in a Denver suburb the president has held up in his efforts to link violent crime with immigration. More than 100 members of the Tren de Aragua gang were targeted Wednesday at apartment buildings and other sites […]

3 hours ago

FILE - In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, flags fly at half-staff at Camp Justice, ...

Associated Press

Newly unsealed documents reveal more details of prosecutors’ evidence in 9/11 attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly unsealed documents give one of the most detailed views yet of the evidence gathered on the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, including how prosecutors allege he and others interacted with the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The summaries of evidence released Thursday include Mohammed’s own statements […]

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Collins Comfort Masters: Your go-to plumbing experts in Arizona

Collins Comfort Masters, a trusted name in HVAC, water and plumbing since 1985, is you go-to plumbers for the residents of Phoenix and the Valley.

...

Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax

How to optimize the most money in 2024 tax returns

As tax season begins, getting your financials in order is important to maximize your tax return.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to save money on retirement planning following 2024 election

PHOENIX -- With the 2024 election over, economic changes could impact how people plan for retirement as 2025 is on the horizon.

Bribery, fraud charges dropped against former New York Lt. Governor