New York, USA, Nov 23 (EFE).- The mayor of New York City, Democrat Eric Adams, was charged with an alleged sexual assault that took place in 1993 in his workplace, when he was a captain in the transit police, according to a court document released Wednesday night.
Adams denied the allegation, saying it was “absolutely not true.”
The indictment came hours before Thursday’s expiration of a one-year legal window to seek civil justice in cases of sex crimes that occurred years ago and have since then prescribed, made possible thanks to the Adult Survivors Act in New York State.
The unidentified victim has filed a pre-civil suit document that does not provide details of the alleged crime, but names Adams, the New York Police Department and a police association as defendants.
Allegedly, the victim was “sexually assaulted” by Adams in New York City in 1993 “while they both worked for the City of New York,” according to the summons.
The summons, which seeks a trial and $5 million in damages, is a precursor to a lawsuit that would detail the alleged assault.
“This is something that has never happened,” the mayor said. “I don’t even recall meeting the person and I’m going to remain steadfast in running the city. I would not harm anyone in any manner such as that.”
A City Hall spokesperson also denied the claim saying “The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”
New York’s legal window for reporting such sex crimes closes at midnight Thursday night and has led to thousands of claims, some against high-profile figures from Donald Trump to, just this week, singer Axl Rose and rapper Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
Adams was elected mayor in 2021 after serving as Brooklyn borough president, and previously worked in the NYPD’s Transit Division for 22 years.
Recently, the Democratic politician has come under scrutiny for his campaign financing with the FBI investigating possible ties to the Turkish government, which he has denied. EFE
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