Nov. 19 (UPI) — A federal jury on Friday indicted a New York City real estate businessman on charges connected to an alleged campaign finance scheme involving a candidate running for comptroller.
Manhattan prosecutors said starting in or about September 2019, Gerald Migdol schemed to illegally collect campaign contributions for the candidate, who could then collect public matching funds through the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
Prosecutors said Migdol said contributions were given under one person’s name but in reality came from another person. Some contributions were allegedly made in the name of people who didn’t authorize the contributions.
Migdol faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to misrepresent and conceal the sources of political campaign contributions.
The indictment didn’t name the candidate Migdol allegedly schemed on behalf of, but current Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was the only candidate for comptroller to have registered to run for the position in or about September 2019, according to the Times Union newspaper in Albany, N.Y. Unnamed sources familiar with the case told the New York Daily News and WNBC-TV in New York City that Benjamin was the candidate in question.
