Federal prosecutors on Friday dropped public corruption charges against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, ending the case after nearly three years of litigation.

Lawyers with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York told U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken that the death of a key witness, real estate magnate Gerald Migdol, meant that they could not go forward with the case, in which Benjamin, who was seen as a rising star in the state Democratic party, was charged with bribery.