Jean Kim, the woman who has accused City Comptroller Scott Stringer of sexual harassment and groping, has filed a formal complaint with the New York State Office of the Attorney General.
Patricia Pastor, the attorney representing Kim, issued a statement saying the complaint alleges "sexual abuse and sexual harassment by Scott Stringer while he was a New York State Assemblyman running for the office of Public Advocate.”
A spokesperson for State Attorney General Letitia James, confirmed they have received the complaint and the office is reviewing it.
According to Kim, Stringer made unwanted sexual advances and inappropriately touched Kim while she was working as a volunteer on his 2001 bid for public advocate twenty years ago. Kim made the allegations public for the first time last week, saying she was moved to share her story because of Stringer's candidacy for mayor.
Tyrone Stevens, a spokesperson for the Stringer campaign said they will cooperate with any investigation.
“We welcome examination of this false allegation by any independent third party, whether that be a government agency or journalist," Stevens said.
Stringer has forcefully denied the allegations, saying he and Kim were in a brief consensual relationship that evolved from friendship. He has also denied her assertion that she was an intern on his campaign, highlighting that she was a donor and supporter of his campaign and other subsequent races since then.
Since the allegations were made public, Stringer has lost some significant support. The Working Families Party rescinded their endorsement last week and a long list of former allies have said they would no longer back his candidacy, including Congressmen Adriano Espaillat and Jamaal Bowman.
But Stringer has hardly shied away from the public eye in recent days. He spent the weekend campaigning at churches in Brooklyn and received an endorsement from Teamsters Local 237 on Monday.
“This has been a tough week for me,” Stringer told NY1 Tuesday morning. “I feel it, my wife feels it, my family. I think we’ll come back and the city will come back and that’s what I’ve dedicated my life to."