Stringer Accused of Misconduct By Second Woman, N.Y. Times Says

(Bloomberg) -- New York City comptroller and mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer has been accused of sexual misconduct by a second woman, according to a report in the New York Times.

The woman, Teresa Logan, said Stringer groped her and made other unwanted advances in 1992 while she was working for him at a bar and restaurant he co-owned, claims Stringer denied, the Times said on Friday. She was 18 years old at the time and Stringer was 32, she said.

The allegation follows a claim lodged against Stringer in late April by a former campaign volunteer, Jean Kim, who said Stringer had groped and sexually harassed her in 2001, when he was running for public advocate.

Stringer, 61, denied the account and said they were engaged in “a light relationship.”

When reached Friday, he said he didn’t recall knowing his latest accuser, and apologized for any conduct that might have offended her. “While I do not remember Ms. Logan, if I ever did anything to make her uncomfortable, I am sorry,” he said in an email.

The allegations of Stringer’s first accuser had an immediate impact on the comptroller’s mayoral campaign, with groups of state and federal lawmakers rescinding their endorsements of the progressive candidate. They included UFCW Local 1500, which represents about 20,000 New York grocery workers; U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman and state Senators Alessandra Biaggi, Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar, who instead endorsed rival Maya Wiley.

Kim’s lawyer, Patricia Pastor, filed a formal complaint with New York Attorney General Letitia James and asked her to review the case. On Friday, a spokesman for James said the office reviewed the complaint and determined that it didn’t have jurisdiction.

Stringer had consistently come in third in several polls measuring political support among eight major Democratic candidates -- the first in which the city will use ranked-choice voting with ballots offering voters five top preferences. Stringer placed fourth in polls last month, after Kim’s allegation.

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