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Teen Intern Got Assemblyman Wondering If Sex With 14-Year-Olds Was Legal Anywhere, Says Source
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 11, 2013
Modified Mar 11, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 11, 2013
Modified Mar 11, 2013
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Scandalous details continue to dribble out of a state ethics commission report on powerfully pervy Brooklyn Democrat Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who's been accused of sexual harassment by multiple female staffers. The report has not been released to the public, which is great for the Daily News—last week a source tipped off the tabloid that Lopez, 71, told staffer Chloe Rivera, who was then 24, that he liked the "very sexy way" a 14-year-old intern dressed. Now the source says Lopez wondered out loud if there was any state in the union where he could legally do sex with the intern.
According to the source, Lopez verbally fantasized about living in a state where he could have sex with the girl, who happened to be the daughter of Brooklyn judge Pam Fisher, whom Lopez helped get elected. (Some have questioned Judge Fisher's qualifications.) Rivera informed Fisher of the comments, and they called 911 to log a sex harassment/child abuse complaint with the cops. No charges were ever filed, and Rivera subsequently quit. (A secret $103,000 tax-payer funded settlement was reached with two other staffers who accused Lopez of harassment.)
But despite the 911 child abuse call, the News' source says Lopez remains close with the family, and that "they all dined together with several other close allies after an 'adults only' Christmas party at Our Lady of Snow Hall. [Lopez] discussed a school paper the girl was working on." At press time, it was unclear if the paper will require a research trip to Mexico with the assemblyman. And in case you're curious, there's no state in North America where sex with a 15-year-old is legal, even if it's "consensual." Anyone over 21 who has sex with a minor under 17 can be charged with third-degree rape.
Tagged
brooklyn
corruption
interns
state assembly
vito lopez
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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