New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin resigned on Tuesday after being hit with bribery and fraud charges for allegedly directing state funds toward a real estate developer in exchange for campaign contributions.
Benjamin, 45, second in command to Gov. Kathy Hochul, resigned hours after federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment and arrested him on federal bribery charges.
Hochul said on Tuesday evening that she had accepted his resignation, and that he was stepping down immediately “while the legal process plays out.” She handpicked Benjamin for the lieutenant governor’s job last August.
“It is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as lieutenant governor,” she wrote in a statement. “New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them.”
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