New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning on federal charges related to his political campaigns, including bribery, and then resigned his position.

The 45-year-old Democrat was arraigned in the U.S. District Courthouse in Manhattan Tuesday afternoon on bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit those offenses and two counts of making false statements.

“I have accepted Brian Benjamin’s resignation effective immediately,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as lieutenant governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them.”

Benjamin was a state lawmaker when chosen by Hochul in September. She got the job as governor, elevating from lieutenant governor, because former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid accusations he sexually harassed 11 women. He’s denied those charges.

All are Democrats. Hochul is running for election this fall.

Benjamin faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud and each of the false statement charges.

According to Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Benjamin allegedly directed a $50,000 grant from the New York state government to a nonprofit organization controlled by a real estate developer. In turn, the unnamed developer gave Benjamin “tens of thousands of dollars” toward his campaigns for the state Senate and for the New York City comptroller race.

He lost the Democratic primary for the comptroller’s race last year.

“This is a simple story of corruption,” Williams said at a press conference Tuesday.

The incidents are alleged to have happened before Benjamin became lieutenant governor.

Authorities say that beginning in February 2019, Benjamin sought funding for an agency in his district from Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The organization tied to the developer was not mentioned at the time.

A month later, Benjamin met with the developer and told them about his plan to run for comptroller. Documents claim the discussion focused on the developer helping Benjamin raise small-dollar contributions. When the developer pushed back and said that the campaign contributions would likely come from the same people they’d solicit for the nonprofit, Benjamin – according to authorities – said, “Let me see what I can do.”

In late May 2019, Stewart-Cousins’ office notified Benjamin and other senators that their discretionary funding requests were approved. However, authorities said the then-senator directed the funds to the developer’s nonprofit rather than give the $50,000 to the agency Benjamin identified in February.

The Senate formally approved the funding in June 2019. Less than a month later, the developer provided Benjamin’s Senate campaign with three checks totaling $25,000. Two checks came from relatives of the developer who did not have the same last name, while the third came from a company led by the developer.

Additional contributions would happen between October 2019 and January 2021 for Benjamin’s comptroller campaign.

Besides seeking the bribes, authorities allege Benjamin sought to hide details of the contributions from public records. In November 2019, the New York State Board of Elections alerted Benjamin’s Senate campaign that some limited liability companies failed to submit forms disclosing their owners. The campaign eventually submitted that information for some LLCs, but not the one tied to the developer.

In February 2020, the New York City Campaign Finance Board notified Benjamin’s comptroller campaign that some contributions it received from the developer were not eligible for matching funds. Five months later, that campaign would submit forms to the city indicating the contributions were gathered by someone other than the developer.

Authorities also said Benjamin, in August of last year, failed to disclose his relationship with the developer on a questionnaire while being vetted by Hochul for the lieutenant governor’s position. In the same document, authorities also said he falsely declared never using a previous governmental position to help “a donor [he] directly solicited.

A couple of hours after turning in the questionnaire, authorities say Benjamin called the developer for the first time in six months.

Benjamin served Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood in the state Senate for four years. He won a special election in June 2017. Hochul announced Benjamin as her lieutenant governor just days after succeeding Cuomo.

Last Thursday, during a press conference about the budget, Hochul stood by Benjamin even after reports with damaging accusations. The reports said that while she considered him for the post, he didn’t disclose to her that he was subpoenaed by the Manhattan district attorney in its investigation into one of his campaign aides.

“I have utmost confidence in my lieutenant governor,” she said. “This is an independent investigation related to other people, and he’s fully cooperating. He is my running mate.”

The son of an immigrant mother, Benjamin graduated from Brown University and earned his MBA from Harvard. After working as an investment banker, he then became a partner in a minority business enterprise developing affordable housing.

There had been questions swirling about Benjamin. A report earlier this year indicated that while serving as a state senator two years ago, Benjamin received reimbursements from taxpayer funds for trips he spent campaign funds.

According to the Albany Times-Union, Benjamin received more than $2,000 in reimbursements for 12 trips he made while serving in the Senate. However, his campaign disclosures indicated it covered gas expenses 14 times during the same period.

This article was originally posted on New York’s lieutenant governor resigns following surrender; faces federal bribery charge