Bronx Councilman Accused Of Sexual Harassment Again

THE BRONX, NY — A Bronx city councilman has been accused of sexual harassment for a second time in less than two years along with other misdeeds, the Council's Standards and Ethics Committee revealed Monday.

The committee voted to start disciplinary proceedings against Councilman Andy King stemming from the accusations, which also involved alleged misbehavior by the lawmaker's wife and one of his staffers, according to Councilman Steven Matteo, the committee chairman.

"Despite many attempts to interview Council Member King about these allegations, he has refused to cooperate with the investigation and only made himself available for five minutes to discuss a separate but related investigation into one of his staff members," Matteo, a Staten Island Republican, said.

In addition to the alleged sexual harassment, King, a Democrat, been accused of allowing his wife to perform Council business and harass a Council worker, Matteo said.

King also allegedly "created an environment" in which a senior employee in his office was allowed to make violent threats and at least once actually commit an act of violence against a subordinate, Matteo said. The allegations also involve "numerous instances of misuse of city resources," he said.

King's communications director did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Matteo did not give details of King's alleged sexual harassment. But the committee ordered the lawmaker to undergo sensitivity training in February 2018 after it found he made unwanted advances on a Council staffer.

This isn't the first time dealings with King's wife have landed the councilman in hot water. The city's Campaign Finance Board fined him $10,000 in 2015 for failing to justify $7,000 that his 2013 Council campaign paid her. The fine was also related to King's alleged use of campaign funds to pay his home phone bills.

The allegations against King were revealed as the Standards and Ethics Committee probes sexual harassment charges against Councilman Barry Grodenchik. The Queens Democrat has been accused of kissing a Council staffer on the cheek and talking about her weight.

The committee could recommend sanctions against either lawmaker if it finds they violated Council rules. Carrie Cohen, a former federal prosecutor who's acting as the Council's special counsel, will further investigate the allegations against King if necessary and recommend any charges, Council officials said.