Benjamin attorney floats protection that served de Blasio avoid indictment

Disgraced ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin confirmed up in courtroom Monday with ex-Mayor Invoice de Blasio’s previous defense attorney — who promptly floated the exact idea that assisted get de Blasio off the hook in a “pay-to-play” corruption probe.
Barry Berke appeared to telegraph his prepared strategy on behalf of Benjamin, who resigned final 7 days following his indictment in an alleged bribery plan involving additional than $50,000 in unlawful donations to his campaign committees.
“This is a pretty uncommon political corruption circumstance mainly because the rates are based solely on political contributions and no own gains,” Berke explained through an look in Manhattan federal court.
in 2016, de Blasio was referred for investigation by the condition Board of Elections, sparking condition and federal probes into fundraising for his 2013 mayoral marketing campaign, his controversial Campaign for A person New York nonprofit and the 2014 point out Senate elections.

The following yr, then-acting Manhattan US Lawyer Joon Kim reported he’d determined not to file charges from de Blasio in portion mainly because of “the specific trouble in proving legal intent in corruption techniques the place there is no evidence of private gain.”
Also for the duration of Tuesday’s court session, Judge Paul Oetken gave Benjamin permission to travel to New Jersey immediately after Berke reported that “he has household there” and prosecutors didn’t item.
The go came amid endeavours by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic officers to replace Benjamin as her jogging mate in the June 28 major elections by possessing him disqualify himself by shifting out of state.

For the duration of an overall look final 7 days on WNYC radio, Hochul claimed “that is the solution, I believe … due to the fact dying is the other one” and joked that host Brian Lehrer really should get concerned when he proposed she request Benjamin, a previous state senator from Harlem, to temporarily relocate to the Backyard Condition.
“You give him a connect with, Brian, and you can convey to him that’s your considered,” she explained.
“I really don’t have command about that.”
Benjamin, who is free on a $250,000 bond, was previously granted permission to journey to the federal districts of Northern Ga and Jap Virginia.
Benjamin is accused of arranging a $50,000 condition grant to developer and attorney Gerald Migdol’s Pals of Community Faculty Harlem in trade for Migdol allegedly funneling somewhat much more than that to Benjamin’s state Senate campaign committee and his failed bid for metropolis comptroller very last yr.

Migdol was busted in the alleged plan last calendar year and is reportedly cooperating with the feds against Benjamin.
In a prepared statement, Berke called Benjamin’s five-depend indictment “an unprecedented endeavor to criminally charge an upstanding condition leader for plan fundraising and guidance of a non-earnings supplying wanted resources to Harlem public educational facilities.”
Berke also explained he and co-counsel Dani James made the decision to consider the circumstance “because we are shocked and dismayed that the prosecution would provide these types of flimsy and unwarranted prices from a sitting Lt. Governor and so near to the main election.”
A spokesperson for Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams didn’t immediately return a request for remark.
Benjamin was represented at his arraignment final week by attorneys James Gatta and William Harrington, who filed paperwork Monday to withdraw from the situation mainly because Benjamin had changed them with Berke and James’ agency.

In 2018, de Blasio acknowledged owing Berke’s organization, Kramer Levin, about $300,000 in unpaid legal charges, which The Town web site last calendar year explained experienced possible ballooned to $435,000 with desire.
“Obviously, I intend to tackle that debt and put with each other the assets above time,” de Blasio reported when requested about the matter in October.
Berke declined to say what, if something, de Blasio had considering that accomplished to shell out his bill and de Blasio’s spokesman didn’t quickly return a request for remark.
Berke donated to both equally of de Blasio’s mayoral races and was his campaign finance committee chairman for the 2013 election.
In 2015, de Blasio appointed Berke as his official representative on Lincoln Center’s board of administrators.
Berke was also chief counsel for the Home Democrats throughout previous President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial and was exclusive counsel to the Property Judiciary Committee in the course of Trump’s initially impeachment.
More reporting by Carl Campanile