Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson allegedly offered to pay a young woman $1,000 a month after she accused him of touching her inappropriately two years ago, according to a congressional report released Friday.
The accusation is contained in a 62-page report issued by two ranking Republican congressmen investigating President Barack Obama’s firing last summer of Gerald Walpin, a federal inspector general who had been investigating alleged misuse of federal grant money by Johnson and his nonprofit St. HOPE organization.
Walpin sent the findings of his probe – including the allegation that Johnson had offered the payments – to the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento for consideration of criminal charges. The office reviewed Walpin’s findings and opted instead to reach a civil settlement with Johnson.
“The facts outlined in the referral give rise to reasonable suspicions about potential hush money payments and witness tampering at a federally funded entity,” the congressional report concludes. “Yet, it is unclear what, if anything, the U.S. attorney’s office did to investigate these allegations.”
Johnson spokesman Steve Maviglio vehemently denied the allegations Friday.
“There is absolutely no merit to these politically motivated allegations,” Maviglio said. “They are categorically false.
“It is sad and unfortunate that the right-wing minority in Congress is playing politics with allegations that have been dismissed by professional prosecutors, the Republican U.S. attorney, and federal officials at AmeriCorps from both political parties.”
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