Michael Boxley

Here’s a mailer going out to voters in Sheldon Silver’s district highlighting his bungled responses to two alleged sexual assaults committed by one of his top aides at the time, Michael Boxley. Boxley was indicted in the second case.

The mailer includes excerpts from news articles highlighting the 2001 and 2003 incidents, and a letter written by the first victim, Elizabeth Crothers, who is supporting Paul Newell, another candidate in the race.

Referring to the second incident, Crothers wrote, “This was a rape Sheldon Silver could have prevented, but--for the sake of his own political convenience--he did not.”

She goes on, “When I was powerless and alone, Sheldon Silver sat silent.  read more »

In a development that may prove to be a nuisance in every sense of the word, a lawsuit has been filed against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and a former aide for using $480,000 in state funds to settle allegations of sexual misconduct against the aide, Michael Boxley.

The suit, filed yesterday by attorney Robert McKay on behalf of "taxpayer" Joseph Santora, says, "The undeniably correct ruling that Boxley’s rape activities did not fall within the scope of his employment makes utterly incongruous the subsequent payment of $480,000 of NYS taxpayers' money on behalf of the culprits to settle the Jane Doe action."

It goes on to say, "It is not the compensation of Jane Doe that is at issue here. It is the source of that compensation that was the wrongful act. It should have come from the pockets of Messrs. Silver and Boxley, and not from the taxpayers of New York.”

Calls to McKay's law office yesterday were not returned. A spokesman for Silver, Charles Carrier, told me yesterday he could not comment because they had not seen the lawsuit.

The one-year suspension of his license came after he pled guilty to a sexual misconduct charge.

The court found that Boxley "possesses the character and general fitness to resume the practice of law."

CORRECTION: Not so exclusive. Liz Benjamin beat me by 13 minutes on this one.