Federal investigators have issued subpoenas to former campaign advisers of New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin and the state Senate, trying to determine whether he had a hand in funneling fraudulent donations to his failed comptroller bid, according to reports.
The subpoenas come four months after the federal indictment of Manhattan real estate developer Gerald Migdol, Benjamin’s longtime associate, who is accused of funneling fraudulent contributions to Benjamin’s 2021 campaign for New York City comptroller in an attempt to qualify for the city’s matching funds program, which doles out $8 from public money for every $1 raised privately, the New York Daily News reported.
Migdol pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge alone, The New York Times reported.
Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York have issued several grand jury subpoenas to members of Benjamin’s campaign committee, seeking fundraising records and communications related to Migdol, The Times reported.
Prosecutors are also seeking records from the state Senate, where Benjamin served from 2017 until summer 2021, when he was tapped to be second-in-command to Gov. Kathy Hochul, The Times reported.
