Brian Benjamin is still waiting for the state to cover his legal costs

It’s been 15 months since the feds dropped the corruption case against former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, and he still hasn’t seen a dime from the state to pay his lawyers, who are waiting on $10 million. 

Benjamin will – eventually – be the beneficiary of Public Officers Law 19, which says the state will cover state employees’ litigation costs if they’re accused of wrongdoing while acting in the scope of their work, as long as they’re acquitted or the case is dismissed. 

But it’s been seven months since Attorney General Letitia James’ office approved Benjamin’s request for reimbursement for “reasonable attorneys’ fees and legal expenses.” Now it’s up to Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to audit the bills and pay up. But DiNapoli’s in the midst of his first ever reelection battle, and his office is moving slowly. 

DiNapoli spokesperson Jen Freeman said the timing is typical – “we call it doing our due diligence.” (After all, the late state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno once tried to bill the state for the time his lawyer spent talking to reporters.)

For now, Benjamin isn’t biting the hand holding the money. Like former Mayor Eric Adams, he’s targeted former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, instead, slamming him as “an ambitious federal prosecutor with political ambitions,” and argued that “countless lives were irreparably harmed on what was effectively a wild goose chase” and now “New York taxpayers (are) left holding the bag.” 

Williams, now a partner at law firm Jenner & Block, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.