Politics & Government

No Sexual Harassment Charges For Vito Lopez

Special prosecutor says the assemblyman's alleged harassment of staffers never rose to the level of a crime, chastises Assembly.

By Matthew Hampton and Amy Sara Clark

Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez will not face charges for alleged sexual harassment of female staffers, the special prosecutor assigned to his case said Wednesday.

Daniel Donovan, Richmond County district attorney and the special prosecutor appointed by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, released a statement Wednesday, detailing an investigation he has pursued since late 2012.

"Based on our investigation, there is no basis upon which to conclude that a chargeable crime was committed within the confines of Kings County," Donovan wrote. 

Donovan went further, saying that payments made to sexual harassment victims after the fact did not constitute crimes, either. 

While there may not have been any specific crimes committed, he said, the conduct of all involved was close to deplorable.

Former employees said Lopez created an "atmosphere of sexual pressure and crude language in his office, with frequent unwanted advances by him and others, requests for provocative dress, personal questions about their boyfriends and fears of reprisals if they complained," according to the New York Times.

Describing an atmosphere of "pervasive unwelcome verbal conduct," the New York Assembly censured Lopez, taking away his committee chairmanship and barred him from employing interns or anyone under the age of 21, according to The Times. It also accuses Lopez of groping and kissing two of his staffers without their consent.

A few days later, Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker and one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, authorized a secret payment of $103,080 to settle prior allegations against Lopez from two other women, according to The Times. 

"It must be emphasized that the manner in which these entities dealt with the allegations fell short of what the public has the right to expect," Donovan said. 

In his statement, he put the state assembly itself on trial, saying that the first concern of those around Lopez was to protect themselves and their legislative body.

"My investigation revealed that during the mediation and negotiation of a settlement, the chief concern of those in the Assembly was mitigating the Assembly’s damages," Donovan said. "That goal outweighed any interest in investigating or disciplining Assembly Member Lopez or in preventing similar occurrences in the future."

Worst of all, Donovan added, the secret nature by which the instances of inappropriate conduct was addressed only encouraged Lopez to continue his pattern of bad behavior. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Prospect Heights-Crown Heights