There was a secret settlement of prior allegations of sexual harassment that NY Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver engineered. Victims were paid out of taxpayer money. Despite this coming out prior to the election in November, Lopez was re-elected to the Assembly from Brooklyn.
Via NY Daily News:
ALBANY — Pervy Assemblyman Vito Lopez found a 14-year-old intern so sexy that he fantasized aloud about living in a state where it was legal to sleep with underage girls, a source told the Daily News.
After ogling the girl, the 71-year-old Brooklyn Democrat relayed his twisted lament over New York’s statutory rape laws to least one person from his district office, the source said.
The creepy comment comes to light days after the Daily News revealed that the mother of a Lopez staffer called the police after he told the staffer she should dress sexier — like the teenage intern.
“It just gets more and more horrifying with this guy,” said one insider. “God only knows what’s inside that (state ethics commission) report” on Lopez.
Neither Lopez nor his lawyer returned messages seeking comments. A spokesman for the state ethics commission declined to comment.
The 14-year-old girl is the daughter of Brooklyn Judge Pamela Fisher, whom Lopez helped get elected.
In New York, it’s second-degree rape punishable by up to seven years in prison for anyone 18 or older to have sex with someone under 15 — even if it’s consensual. Anyone at least 21 who has sex with someone under the age of 17 is guilty of third-degree rape, punishable by up to four years in prison.
Despite reports of Lopez’s alleged fascination with the teen, the veteran political boss has remained close with the intern and her family.
They all dined together with several other close allies after an “adults only” Christmas party at Our Lady of Snow Hall. The pol discussed a school paper the girl was working on, a source said.
While it has not been alleged that Lopez made a move on his 14-year-old intern, his seeming infatuation was enough to creep out his 24-year-old staffer, Chloe Rivera, and her mom.