NYC Assemblyman Lopez will resign amid sex scandal
May 17, 2013, 4:24 PM
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Democratic New York City Assemblyman Vito Lopez says he will resign amid a sexual harassment scandal and run for New York City council.
Lopez says he’ll step down June 20.
Lopez has been under growing pressure after it was revealed the state secretly paid women $103,000 to settle sexual harassment claims against the one-time Brooklyn power broker.
Two blistering reports this week, from a special prosecutor and the state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics, painted an ugly picture of unwanted comments and contact from the 71-year-old assemblyman.
He does not face any criminal charges.
The ethics report claimed Lopez subjected young female staffers to inappropriate touching and comments about their bodies. It claims they also were forced to write letters to him about how much they loved their jobs.
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