Brian A. Benjamin (born December 9, 1976)[1] is an American politician and businessman who was the lieutenant governor of New York from September 2021 until he resigned on April 12, 2022.

On April 12, 2022, Benjamin resigned from office after being indicted earlier that day on federal wire fraud and bribery charges, to which he pleaded not guilty.

[19] In that capacity, he opposed a redevelopment plan that included towers, two-story retail spaces, an underground garage, and a community park, siding with tenants.

[20][21][22] In 2017, when Benjamin was the managing partner of the Genesis Companies real estate firm in Harlem, and at the same time on the verge of becoming the New York State Senate Democratic nominee, his firm was sued by its co-investor in a legal dispute over an alleged scheme to divert revenue from a fire sale by Abyssinian Development to the investors of 31 properties.

[25] New York law provides that special elections for state seats do not have open primaries; instead, party candidates are chosen by the local county committees.

[31] Genesis stated that it had retained Benjamin as an advisor for $60,000 a year to consult on "real estate development matters" starting in June 2017.

According to the Daily News, he directed tenants to "contact his office about heat-related issues" and "bragged about holding landlords accountable.

[54] The bill passed the Senate in the 2019 and 2020 sessions, and was part of a nationwide movement that pushed many of the largest private banking institutions to drop their investments.

[56] The 2019 session also saw the passage of housing reform legislation, including Benjamin's bill to protect keep Rent Stabilized apartments affordable.

[59] As a result of historic support for police reform, Benjamin also was able to pass legislation he had been championing including his bill the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act.

[60] In December 2020 he joined other senators in announcing the introduction of legislation that significantly limited police no-knock warrants to only the most severe circumstances, and banned their use for drug searches.

[62] Also that month, Benjamin proposed a bill to make it easier for released ex-convicts to obtain a state-issued ID when they leave jail.

[67] They argued that his stock holdings and position on the board of NextPoint were unethical conflicts of interest that should disqualify him from presiding over bills dealing with taxation.

In the Democratic primary he ran against State Senator Kevin Parker, entrepreneur, nonprofit founder, and former US Marine Zach Iscol, City Councilmember Brad Lander, and Assemblymember David Weprin.

[70] Former governor David Paterson endorsed Benjamin, as did former U.S. Representative Charles Rangel and New York State Senator John Liu.

[71] Lander won the primary, while Benjamin received 11.6% of the vote, placing fourth behind Corey Johnson and CNBC contributor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

[78] Following his swearing-in, Benjamin stated that he had reimbursed his campaign account for a large payment that was made to an event venue in October 2018, the same month he and his wife held a wedding party.

[81][82][83] Federal prosecutors allege that in 2019, Benjamin was a state senator, he used his position to steer a $50,000 state grant to a nonprofit, Friends of Public School Harlem, run by Harlem real estate developer and lawyer Gerald Migdol, who in turn arranged thousands of dollars in unlawful "straw donor" campaign contributions to Benjamin's campaign for city comptroller.

[85] In the indictment, prosecutors also allege that Benjamin falsified campaign-contribution paperwork and provided false information on forms during an August 2021 background check, before his selection as lieutenant governor.

[86] Pretrial motions focused on whether the facts alleged by the prosecution were legally sufficient to allow a jury to find a "corrupt quid pro quo" in accordance with U.S. Supreme Court decisions that narrowly interpreted federal anti-bribery law.

[88] On January 17, 2025, the United States Attorney's Office dropped its case against Benjamin, including the charges of bribery and federal wire fraud.

[89] In 2014, Benjamin appeared in Oprah Winfrey Network's reality television show Love in the City as the boyfriend of a woman who, three years later (when he was a State Senate candidate), alleged that he stole some items from her.