{{short description|New York State politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ryan Scott Karben | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|9|29|mf=y}} | birth_place = [[The Bronx|Bronx, NY]] | office = Legislator; Rockland County Legislature | term_start = 1997 | term_end = 2002 | predecessor = | successor = | constituency = [[Ramapo, New York|Ramapo]], [[New York (state)|New York]] | office2 = Assemblyman; [[New York State Assembly]] | term_start2 = 2003 | term_end2 = May 18, 2006 | predecessor2 =Samuel Colman (Assembly seat from 1984-2002) | successor2 =[[Ellen Jaffee]] | constituency2 = 95th Assembly District | office3 = Village Attorney - [[Spring Valley, New York|Spring Valley]], [[New York (state)|New York]] | term_start3 = 2010 | term_end3 = 2010 | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | constituency3 = [[Spring Valley, New York]] | party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] | occupation = [[Lawyer]] | majority = | spouse = Lauren C. Bekritsky | children = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Ryan Scott Karben''' is an American attorney and former politician from the state of [[New York (state)|New York]]. A [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], Karben represented the state's 95th Assembly District from 2003 to 2006.
==Education and family== Karben was born in the borough of [[the Bronx]] on September 29, 1974. In 1979, his family moved to [[Spring Valley, New York]]. Karben was a student at the [[Frisch School]] in [[Paramus, New Jersey]].<ref name="Bergen Record October 16, 1991" /> He attended [[Yeshiva University]] as a Max Stern Distinguished Scholar and graduated magna cum laude in 1996 with a B.A. in English. He then attended the [[Columbia Law School]] as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, graduating in 1999.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
Karben married Lauren C. Bekritsky, his high school sweetheart, in June 1996. The Karbens have three daughters.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} Karben is an Orthodox Jew.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/nyregion/27karben.html|title=Downfall of a Young and Ambitious Assemblyman Stuns His Constituents (Published 2006)|first1=Lisa W.|last1=Foderaro|first2=Jennifer|last2=Medina|newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 27, 2006}}</ref>
==Assembly career== In 1995, Karben lost his initial bid to become county legislator at the age of 21 when he finished fourth in a race for three open positions. In his concession speech at the Holiday Inn in [[Suffern, New York]], Karben assured his supporters that he considered the election a positive experience and that he would be back.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
In 1997, Karben was elected to represent [[Ramapo, New York|Ramapo]] in the [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland County]] Legislature. He was the youngest county lawmaker in the State of New York at that time. Karben was selected as majority leader of the Rockland County Legislature in 2001–2002.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
In November 2002, Karben was elected to the [[New York State Assembly]] in [[Albany, New York|Albany]] to represent the 95th district, which includes the Town of Orangetown and parts of the Town of Ramapo in [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland County]]. Karben served on the Energy Committee and led an investigation of [[Consolidated Edison]] in 2004. Karben also pushed for tougher sex-offender tracking laws and environmental cleanups at several Rockland County sites.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
Karben was involved in a fundraising controversy involving [[Charles Kushner]], a New Jersey developer who served a prison sentence for hiring prostitutes in an attempt to influence potential witnesses in a [[New Jersey]] investigation. Kushner had contributed over $40,000 to Karben's campaign, and Karben contributed $2,500 to charity after revelations about Kushner surfaced.<ref name="The Journal News May 19, 2006" />
===Resignation===
On May 18, 2006, Karben unexpectedly announced his resignation from the Assembly. Karben had reportedly been the subject of an internal investigation into alleged sexual advances toward staffers.<ref name="New York Daily News May 19, 2006" /> According to ''The New York Times'', sources stated that he had brought three staffers to his Albany residence and watched pornography with them; Karben allegedly stepped down to avoid facing a formal investigation.<ref name="auto"/> No formal complaints against Karben were ever filed.<ref name="New York Daily News September 17, 2007" /> Karben's statement regarding his resignation made no reference to the alleged internal inquiry.<ref name="Press Release May 18, 2006" />{{better source needed|date=December 2020}}
Subsequently, Karben left his position as a partner in the Spring Valley law firm of Kurtzman, Matera, Scuderi, Gurock, and Karben.<ref name="The Journal News May 23, 2006" />
==Post-Assembly career== Following his resignation, Karben started his own law firm, the Law Office of Ryan Karben, based at his home in [[Monsey, New York|Monsey]].<ref name="Law Office 2006" />{{better source needed|date=December 2020}} In September 2007, Karben was named Managing Director of [[FleishmanHillard|Fleishman-Hillard]] Government Relations, a national political consulting and lobbying firm.<ref name="New York Daily News September 17, 2007" /> Karben also held the position of Village Attorney of [[Spring Valley, New York]], but was fired by the village mayor in 2010 for dereliction of duty.<ref name="Rockland Journal News October 26, 2010"/>
==References== <references> <ref name="Bergen Record October 16, 1991">{{cite news | first = Pearl J. | last = Park | title = He Learns Political Science from Firsthand Experience—Frisch Senior is Lobbyist | publisher = [[The Record (Bergen County)|Bergen Record]] | date = October 16, 1991 | quote =Frisch School senior Ryan Karben has strong political convictions -- and an equally strong desire to advocate them. }}</ref> <ref name="New York Daily News September 17, 2007">{{cite news | first = Elizabeth | last = Benjamin | title =Pol plans to launch 3rd party for '08 presidential election | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/09/17/2007-09-17_pol_plans_to_launch_3rd_party_for_08_pre.html | work = Metro News | publisher = [[New York Daily News]] | date = September 17, 2007 | accessdate = 2007-10-07 | page = 12 | quote = Former Assemblyman Ryan Karben, a Rockland County Democrat, confirmed he is poised to become a managing director in October at Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations, which he called "a terrific firm with national reach". ... Karben, 32, was an ambitious, rising political star when he abruptly resigned from his Assembly seat in May 2006 amid allegations that he had made sexual advances toward male legislative staffers and interns. No formal complaints were ever filed. }}</ref> <ref name="The Journal News May 23, 2006">{{cite news |first = Jay |last = Gallagher |author2 = James Walsh |url = http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060523/NEWS03/605230321/1019/NEWS03 |title = Karben exits Spring Valley law firm, stays out of view |publisher = [[The Journal News]] |date = May 23, 2006 |accessdate = 2006-05-23 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180233/http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060523%2FNEWS03%2F605230321%2F1019%2FNEWS03 |archivedate = 2007-09-30 |url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="Law Office 2006">{{cite web | url = http://ryankarben.com/ | title = Law Office of Ryan Scott Karben | accessdate = 2006-09-05 | year = 2006 | publisher = Ryan Karben }}</ref> <ref name="Press Release May 18, 2006">{{cite press release |date= May 18, 2006 |title= Ryan Karben }}</ref> <ref name="New York Daily News May 19, 2006">{{cite news |first = Joe |last = Mahoney |author2=Ben Smith |url = http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/pol-sex-probe-quits-father-3-suddenly-steps-reports-wooed-male-aides-article-1.576945 |title = Pol in sex probe quits |work = [[New York Daily News]] |date = May 19, 2006 |page = 16 |accessdate = 2006-05-23 }}</ref> <ref name="The Journal News May 19, 2006">{{cite news |first = Sarah |last = Netter |author2=Steve Lieberman |url = http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060519/NEWS03/605190342/1017 |title = Karben's resignation shocks, raises questions |publisher = [[The Journal News]] |date = May 19, 2006 |accessdate = 2006-05-23 }}{{dead link|date=May 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_site=thejournalnews&f_site=thejournalnews&f_sitename=Journal+News%2C+The+%28Westchester%2C+NY%29&p_theme=gannett&p_product=WJNB&p_action=search&p_field_base-0=&p_text_base-0=Karben%27s+resignation+shocks%2C+raises+questions&Search=Search&p_perpage=10&p_maxdocs=200&p_queryname=700&s_search_type=keyword&p_sort=_rank_%3AD&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date%3AB%2CE&p_text_date-0=wst2006051909292822 Alt URL]</ref>
<ref name="Rockland Journal News October 26, 2010">{{cite news | url = http://archive.lohud.com/article/20101026/NEWS03/10260350 | title = Karben fired as Spring Valley attorney | first = Steve | last = Lieberman | date = October 26, 2010 | work = Rockland Journal News}} </ref>
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{{s-start}} {{succession box|title=[[New York State Assembly|New York State Assembly, 95th District]]|before=[[Howard Mills III]]|years=2003–2006|after=[[Ellen C. Jaffee|Ellen Jaffee]] }} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karben, Ryan}} <!-- Categories --> [[Category:Columbia Law School alumni]] [[Category:Frisch School alumni]] [[Category:People from Ramapo, New York]] [[Category:New York (state) lawyers]] [[Category:Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly]] [[Category:Politicians from Rockland County, New York]] [[Category:Jewish state legislators in New York (state)]] [[Category:Politicians from the Bronx]] [[Category:People from Monsey, New York]] [[Category:1974 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Spring Valley, New York]] [[Category:21st-century American Jews]] [[Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature]]