New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin arrested on federal bribery conspiracy charges

• New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested Tuesday morning.
• Benjamin surrendered himself to police under a federal bribery conspiracy charge, per the NYT.

New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested on Tuesday, with federal prosecutors accusing him in an indictment of "engaging in a bribery scheme using public funds for his own corrupt purposes."

Benjamin surrendered himself to police early in the morning and is set to appear at the US District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, The New York Times reported.

His arrest was the result of an investigation by the FBI and the US attorney for the Southern District's office, with federal prosecutors accusing Benjamin of attempting to funnel state funds to a Harlem real estate investor in exchange for illegal campaign donations, according to the indictment reported on by The Times.

The indictment, which was unsealed later on Tuesday morning, also charges Benjamin with wire fraud.

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Appointed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in September 2021, Benjamin's legal issues have loomed over the administration from the start.

Benjamin is effectively locked into his slot on the ballot alongside Hochul in June's Democratic primary. His name can only be removed if he were to move out of state, run for another office, or die.

Hochul briefly addressed Benjamin's arrest when asked by a reporter at a noon press conference in Brooklyn, where she provided updates at the Sunset Park subway stop where 10 people were shot and several others were injured earlier in the day.

The governor said she will be issuing a statement later on Tuesday.

"I have not had a chance to speak to him," Hochul said. "I was in a meeting this morning, but this is not the place, but I will be addressing it very shortly. Let's focus on the fact that there are people in a hospital right now fighting for their lives. Those are the people we're thinking about and praying for at this moment."

At a recent joint press conference with Hochul on the stalled state budget, Benjamin struggled to answer a question about whether he'd informed the governor about getting a subpoena connected to the same investigation.

According to The Times, Gerald Migdol, the real estate investor, likely began cooperating with investigators some time after he was arrested in May 2021 on wire fraud and other charges connected to the case.

The campaign donations in question were for Benjamin's failed New York City comptroller bid.