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Brooklyn Assemblyman Fires Aide Charged With Sexual Assault Of Young Woman
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 26, 2020
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Provided By Watervliet Police
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 26, 2020
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The longtime legislative director for Brooklyn Assemblymember Peter Abbate, who's also reportedly connected to the Hells Angels, was charged this weekend with sexually abusing a teenager, after police and FBI agents raided the man's house in search of explosives.
Joseph Brady, 40, was arrested on Saturday inside his home in Watervliet, a suburb of Albany. He was charged with felony sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawfully dealing with a child.
Law enforcement sources told the Albany Times Union that Brady was living with an 18-year-old woman and her 16-year-old boyfriend. He allegedly sent the boyfriend and another person to a motel to buy drugs, before assaulting the 18-year-old woman.
The teenage boy returned to the house on Saturday to find his girlfriend "disheveled and disoriented," showing "signs of having been sexually assaulted," according to the report. Brady then allegedly brandished a gun as the teenagers fled the residence.
No firearms were recovered at the scene, and Brady was not charged in relation to the alleged explosives that local police said they were tipped off about.
In a statement to Gothamist, Assemblyman Abbate said that he'd terminated Brady upon learning of his arrest on Sunday. "This disturbing news is a shock and has completely broken the trust I had in my staff member," Abbate said. "This behavior is inexcusable and he should be held accountable.”
Brady was paid $118,000 a year as a top aide to Abbate, a Democrat who represents Borough Park, Bensonhurst, and Dyker Heights, and currently chairs the Committee on Governmental Employees. Prior to working for the assemblyman, Brady was a staffer for Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
A law enforcement official told the Times Union that Brady was involved in a motorcycle gang with ties to the Hells Angels. He was questioned last year in connection with the suspected homicide of a rival motorcycle gang member, and reportedly placed on "watch list."
Attempts to reach Brady's attorney were not successful. He was held on Sunday night at the Albany County jail on $50,000 bail.
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Albany
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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