Assemblyman Marc W. Butler (R,C,I-Newport) and several of his legislative colleagues have written to U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian of the Northern District of New York requesting that he launch an investigation into Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and his staff, who covered up the sexual harassment scandal involving former Assemblyman Vito Lopez. Silver used $103,000 of taxpayer money to pay off two of Lopez’s victims to keep them quiet. It was later found that Lopez continued victimizing other staffers.
“Albany’s culture of corruption is not only hurting taxpayers, but this particular instance has led to more women becoming victims of sexual harassment,” said Butler. “The actions of Silver and Lopez are horrendous, and certainly must be unlawful. Obviously, with leaders like Silver and Lopez in the Assembly, the legislature cannot be trusted to police itself, which is why we’re calling on U.S. Attorney Hartunian to launch an investigation to ensure justice prevails in this matter.”
The scandal also ensnares several of Speaker Silver’s staff, such as his legal counsels, who were complicit in the secret payments and did not forward the complaints to the Ethics Committee which is in violation of Assembly rules. Furthermore, the Joint Commission on Legislative Ethics (JCOPE) reported that, contrary to Silver’s assertions, the matter was hushed at the request of Lopez, rather than in an effort to protect the victims. Additionally, the hush money was improperly accounted for and labeled as legal services. In total, JCOPE reports that eight women were victimized by Lopez.
Butler and his colleagues are turning to Hartunian, as well as Albany County District Attorney David Soares, to properly investigate the scandal and swiftly and severely punish those found guilty of wrongdoing.