Vito Lopez Will Not Face Sexual Harassment Charges

This article was written by Matthew Hampton. 

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. 

"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.