Source: Sen. Kruger to turn himself in

New York State Sen. Carl Kruger of Brooklyn, whose name has surfaced in an influence-peddling case by the FBI, plans to turn himself over to the U.S. attorney's office Thursday, a person with knowledge of the case said.

The person, who declined to be named because the issue wasn't to be announced until Thursday, said Kruger is turning himself in to be processed for an unspecified charge.

Kruger was the powerful Senate Finance Committee chairman from 2008 to 2010 when he and his fellow Democrats controlled the Senate.

The Democrat didn't respond to messages left at his offices. His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment.

Kruger's name surfaced last summer when the FBI charged a lawyer, Michael Levitis of Brooklyn, with lying to agents regarding a problem a restaurateur was having with the state Liquor Authority. Levitis was accused of lying about his contact with a member of Kruger's staff.

Kruger was a leading Democrat during the party's two-year control of the Senate and was close to two dissident Democrats who briefly joined Republicans for a gridlocking coup in the summer of 2009.

In June, Brafman told reporters the senator had been cleared of allegations that he traded bureaucratic favors for campaign contributions. -- AP