{"id":433640,"date":"2022-04-18T21:19:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T18:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/benjamin-lawyer-floats-defense-that-helped-de-blasio-avoid-indictment\/"},"modified":"2022-04-18T21:19:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T18:19:08","slug":"benjamin-lawyer-floats-defense-that-helped-de-blasio-avoid-indictment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/benjamin-lawyer-floats-defense-that-helped-de-blasio-avoid-indictment\/","title":{"rendered":"#Benjamin lawyer floats defense that helped de Blasio avoid indictment"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29025b39dcc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29025b39dcc\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/benjamin-lawyer-floats-defense-that-helped-de-blasio-avoid-indictment\/#%E2%80%9CBenjamin_lawyer_floats_defense_that_helped_de_Blasio_avoid_indictment%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Benjamin lawyer floats defense that helped de Blasio avoid indictment&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CBenjamin_lawyer_floats_defense_that_helped_de_Blasio_avoid_indictment%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Benjamin lawyer floats defense that helped de Blasio avoid indictment&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Disgraced ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin showed up in court Monday with ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio\u2019s former defense lawyer \u2014 who im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely floated the same theory that helped get de Blasio off the hook in a \u201cpay-to-play\u201d corruption probe.<\/p>\n<p>Barry Berke <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared to telegraph his planned strategy on behalf of Benjamin, who resigned last week following his indictment in an alleged bribery scheme involving more than $50,000 in illegal donations to his campaign committees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a very unusual political corruption case because the charges are based solely on political contributions and no personal benefits,\u201d Berke said during an appearance in Manhattan federal court.<\/p>\n<p>in 2016, de Blasio was referred for investigation by the state Board of Elections, sparking state and federal probes into fundraising for his 2013 mayoral campaign, his controversial Campaign for One New York nonprofit and the 2014 state Senate elections.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-051.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin leaving Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse on April 18, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21943623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-051.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-051.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-051.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin leaving Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse on April 18, 2022.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alec Tabak for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The following year, then-acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim said he\u2019d decided not to file charges against de Blasio in part because of \u201cthe particular difficulty in proving criminal intent in corruption schemes where there is no evidence of personal profit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also during Tuesday\u2019s court session, Judge Paul Oetken gave Benjamin permission to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> to New Jersey after Berke said that \u201che has family there\u201d and prosecutors didn\u2019t object.<\/p>\n<p>The move came amid efforts by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic officials to replace Benjamin as her running mate in the June 28 primary elections by having him disqualify himself by moving out of state.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-049.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Benjamin's attorney Barry Berke (left) previously served as former Mayor Bill de Blasio's lawyer during a corruption probe.\" class=\"wp-image-21943656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-049.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-049.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-049.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Benjamin\u2019s attorney Barry Berke (left) previously served as former Mayor Bill de Blasio\u2019s lawyer during a corruption probe.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alec Tabak for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During an appearance last week on WNYC radio, Hochul said \u201cthat is the option, I think \u2026 because death is the other one\u201d and joked that host Brian Lehrer should get involved when he suggested she ask Benjamin, a former state senator from Harlem, to temporarily relocate to the Garden State.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou give him a call, Brian, and you can tell him that\u2019s your thought,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have control over that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin, who is free on a $250,000 bond, was previously granted permission to travel to the federal districts of Northern Georgia and Eastern Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin is accused of arranging a $50,000 state grant to developer and lawyer Gerald Migdol\u2019s Friends of Public School Harlem in exchange for Migdol allegedly funneling slightly more than that to Benjamin\u2019s state Senate campaign committee and his failed bid for city comptroller last year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-050.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Berke called Benjamin's corruption case &quot;unusual&quot; because it is based &quot;solely on political contributions and no personal benefits.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-21943693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-050.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-050.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-050.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Berke called Benjamin\u2019s corruption case \u201cunusual\u201d because it is based \u201csolely on political contributions and no personal benefits.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alec Tabak for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Migdol was busted in the alleged scheme last year and is reportedly cooperating with the feds against Benjamin.<\/p>\n<p>In a prepared statement, Berke called Benjamin\u2019s five-count indictment \u201can unprecedented attempt to criminally charge an upstanding state leader for routine fundraising and support of a non-profit providing needed resources to Harlem public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Berke also said he and co-counsel Dani James decided to take the case \u201cbecause we are shocked and dismayed that the prosecution would bring such flimsy and unwarranted charges against a sitting Lt. Governor and so close to the primary election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams didn\u2019t immediately return a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin was represented at his arraignment last week by lawyers James Gatta and William Harrington, who filed paperwork Monday to withdraw from the case because Benjamin had replaced them with Berke and James\u2019 firm.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-052.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Benjamin resigned from his office after being arrested and indicted in connection to a campaign finance scheme.\" class=\"wp-image-21943720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-052.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-052.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-052.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Benjamin resigned from his office after being arrested and indicted in connection to a campaign finance scheme.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alec Tabak for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2018, de Blasio acknowledged owing Berke\u2019s firm, Kramer Levin, around $300,000 in unpaid legal fees, which The City website <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecity.nyc\/2021\/10\/14\/22727335\/de-blasio-blames-legal-bill-debt-arrears-on-pandemic\">last year said<\/a> had likely ballooned to $435,000 with interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, I intend to address that debt and put together the resources over time,\u201d de Blasio said when asked about the matter in October.<\/p>\n<p>Berke declined to say what, if anything, de Blasio had since done to pay his bill and de Blasio\u2019s spokesman didn\u2019t immediately return a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Berke donated to both of de Blasio\u2019s mayoral races and was his campaign finance committee chairman for the 2013 election.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, de Blasio appointed Berke as his official representative on Lincoln Center\u2019s board of directors.<\/p>\n<p>Berke was also chief counsel for the House Democrats during former President Donald Trump\u2019s second impeachment trial and was special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during Trump\u2019s first impeachment.<\/p>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Carl Campanile<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/18\/benjamin-lawyer-floats-defense-that-helped-de-blasio-avoid-indictment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Benjamin lawyer floats defense that helped de Blasio avoid indictment&#8221; Disgraced ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin showed up in court Monday with ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio\u2019s former defense lawyer \u2014 who immediately floated the same theory that helped get de Blasio off the hook in a \u201cpay-to-play\u201d corruption probe. Barry Berke appeared to telegraph his planned&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":433641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/brian-benjamin-051.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128146,5042,71478,70673,73798,70358,70674,98806,71756,70690],"class_list":["post-433640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-18-22","tag-bill-de-blasio","tag-bribery","tag-corruption","tag-defense","tag-investigations","tag-judges","tag-kathy-hochul","tag-lawyers","tag-manhattan-federal-court"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}