NY Governor candidate Suozzi faces possible probe over stock transactions

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WETM) - New York Democratic Governor candidate, Tom Suozzi, faces a possible investigation into his finances by the House Ethics Committee, according to an announcement from the committee.

The announcement released on April 14 said that the Ethics Committee will decide what action to take by later this summer. According to the New York Post, the announcement is related to a complaint filed by the nonprofit watchdog group Campaign Legal Center last September, which claimed that Suozzi failed to report up to $11 million in stock transactions for several years.

"The Committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee," the announcement read.

The statement said that the Committee will decide and announce by July 29, 2022, what actions it will take. The New York State Gubernatorial Democratic primaries are on June 28.

The complaint from the CLC claimed that from 2017 to 2020, Congressman Suozzi—who serves as New York's 3rd District Congressional Representative—"did not file any periodic transaction reports (PTRs), which are required for each transaction " under the STOCK Act and House rules. A report from early March 2022 further claimed that the 31 stock transactions amounted to $885,000 and that Suozzi didn't report them for months or years later.

The STOCK Act of 2012 requires that members of Congress and government employees report stock transactions worth $1,000 or more within 30 to 45 days.

The news comes on the heels of Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin's resignation after he was charged with campaign finance corruption. Benjamin has pled not guilty to the bribery and charges, and will still appear on Democratic ballot in June.