Press Report: JCOPE to Investigate Lopez Sexual Harassment Matter

According to the NY Post, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) voted yesterday to formally investigate the sexual harassment scandal surrounding Assemblyman Vito Lopez. But the Post does not cite any source(s), and notes that “[i]nvestigations are considered confidential and JCOPE isn’t even permitted to confirm publicly that a probe is under way.” The article reports that the scope of the investigation – whether it is limited to Lopez’s behavior, or will include an investigation of how the Assembly leadership handled the matter — is unclear.

Read additional coverage of yesterday’s JCOPE meeting from the Times, the Times Union, North Country Public Radio, the State of Politics blog, the Buffalo News, Newsday, Gannett’s Albany Watch and City & State.

Under Executive Law 94(9)(a), JCOPE commissioners must keep information related to complaints and investigations confidential.  They cannot confirm or deny that an investigation has been commenced, and cannot reveal any details relating to an investigation until a final report is issued. So it is unclear whether the Post’s source is accurate.

In addition to a possible JCOPE investigation, Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan has been appointed to serve as a special prosecutor in the case, and he has begun a criminal investigation into the charges against Assemblyman Lopez.  It is possible that JCOPE could defer its investigation to the special prosecutor’s.