Ball Cleared In Sexual Harassment Case
-
- October
- 23
Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, Putnam County, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the New York Assembly’s ethics panel today over charges that he sexually harassed a woman.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, wrote in a letter to Ball released today that the committee unanimously found thatÂÂ Ball did not violate the Assembly sexual harassment guidelines.
You can read the letter here.
And here’s the letter from the commission to Silver.
Here’s the LoHud article.
“After an investigation which included witness interviews and a review of relevant documentary evidence, the Committee unanimously determined that a violation of the Assembly Sexual Harassment/Retaliation Policy was not established,” Silver wrote.
Ball, who won his GOP primary contest against former Brewster mayor John Degnan, has maintained he did not harass the woman and instead is the target of a coup by former aides and political opponents, including Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Patterson, Putnam County.
As the committee decided the case, Ball said he forwarded e-mails and other documents to state and federal authorities to prove his case, as well to Silver.
Just days before the primary, a former aide wrote Silver claiming Ball sexually harassed her shortly before she stopped working for him.
Ball faces Degnan, who is also on the Democratic line, on Election Day.
“This sound decision by the Ethics Committee vindicates Assemblyman Ball who has been the victim of a vicious smear campaign to tarnish his reputation because he’s been an outspoken and fearless advocate for taxpayers,” said Adam Kramer, spokesman for the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee.
“This is a tremendous victory for not only Greg Ball, but also for anyone who cares about justice being served.”
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm by Joseph Spector.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
| 
Email This
This 99th race is wild. We taxpayers still do not know who to vote for. People never really know the truth.
Slippery like an eel. That is what is takes to be a politician. They get away with all kinds of things and us poor taxpayers are always in the dark.
If the contenders in this race would just get on with telling us their plans and put all their baggage away. We are sooooooo tired of it all.
Ohhh this must be a big blow to the “Anybody but Ball” crowd. I told them this would happen. Too bad. This is what lying gets you. Degnan’s camp is falling apart and he has nothing to run on.
Santos: “I lied about the whole thing” (click to see more…)
Federal investigators continue their probe into a flooring contractor and Leibell campaign donor who refurbished the Leibell home free of charge…
Recent allegations have found that the contractor also provided flooring services at the “alternative lifestyle” home on 12 main…
Admiral Leibell plans to move forward with a lawsuit against DxC Inc., who installed the staircase he fell through last November, causing an anal fissure.
Story above does not say anyone lied. Just not enough evidence and proof not established. People are afraid of Ball and did not want to get involved. Who cares anyway?
What IS important is who will be our next predsident. Polls show Mccain behind and this may be a democrat election year.
The other article in the Journal News said that Ball or the woman were ever interviewed by the committee. How can a committee make a decision with out one on one interviews? Easy, use the extended time frame for the submission of letter and poof….done. Easy out.
What was there to interview? She said he said it, he said he didn’t. Umm what else is there? He provided a lot of evidence to contradict her claim. Much of that evidence was reported on. You can even hear the recorded call of Difrancesco conspiring to take Ball down on YouTube. This result was pretty obvious. There was no way she could have been considered credible based on the way the accusation was made, the time at which it was made, her personal character, and the overwhelming evidence suggesting conspiracy and lying.
It looks like DiFrancesco has problems now.
Why didn’t Albany interview the people that were with ball when he made the call? Or did they have memory failure or disappear?
Doesn’t matter anyway, they would defend Ball.
What’s with this Defrancisco guy?
Difrancesco was a Chief of Staff for Greg Ball. ball hired him at the suggestion of Sen. Leibell and he proceeded to steal files and e-mails from Ball’s office as well as feed info to not only Leibell but also John Degnan.
He is the author of an E-mail to Leibell camp that Evelynn Perrault was willing to go forward with a lawsuit and was willing to “embellish” facts. Note, Perrault never said she was going to press charges. DiFrancesco has also admitted to working for the Senate in an attempt to “Neuter Greg.” he is being investigated by the FBI for what he did.
His e-mails were probably the most damaging evidence to destroy Perraults accusations among other evidence.
There is no reporting on if there were any other witnesses beyond Greg and Perrault.
These are SR discussions and he is always telling a joke about something. Dont even try to give an opinion. He has lots of funny ones to keep us laughing. hahahahahahahahaha
It’s been said that one of Balls highschool friends was with him and this person has bragged about it to others. Yet, Ball probably has put the cabash on anyone coming forward.
Its over anyway for now.
Give up the discussion with SR. He will keep being the jokester.
Laura,
In what circles is that going through? Nothing has been reported about that in any media that I have seen.
Not a circle, just a buddy of Balls bragging about being there….a little too much of the drink and the mouth runs. But of course, this could just be bragging and nothing more. Lets wait and see what comes of it.
By the way, Mr. SR, this has been heard by more than just me. Others have heard it too.
I am just asking because I have heard nothing of any witnesses of any sort other than Difrancesco’s claims which have been compromised.
... Balls’ high school friends one was Evelyns son.. and they are still friends to this very day.. so that’s a lie Laura
It doesn’t matter, nothing is going to come of it. Perrault cannot prove what she claims he said and she is lacking serious credibility especially with Difrancesco out there.
I knew her and I witnessed her engage in some pretty openly sexual and racial banter frequently. I also witnessed her accuse people of some outrageous things I knew to be 100% false. I am not surprised about her lies at all.
Plus, read the details of the lawsuits against her that Pawling had to either settle or pay out on. She was involved in more deviant behavior than “just having a plastic penis on her desk.” She is a perpetual liar and she just got caught again.
Ball had e-mails from Evelynn Perault begging for her job back. Greggie said no deal. Motive for her to lie. Case closed!
SR you are keeping us laughing with your funny jokes. hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaaha
SR are you Greggie Balls in disguise or his little friend matty. Your funny guys.
DiFrancesco your life in politics is over.
i live in pawling and i’m involved with a local political committee (i don’t need to say which side). anyway, i have also heard the same thing about a man (didn’t know it was a high school friend) who told a few people as recently as last week that he was with ball the night of the call and he thought ball was going to get in trouble because he had made the call. the person who told me did not know the guys name but did say he was younger, probably around greg’s age, so the high school pal description does make sense now. word around town was that greg was going to be in big trouble but i guess the folks upstate couldn’t prove anything since it was a he said, she said. doesn’t mean evelyn was lying, nor does it mean greg made the call. no proof. we’ll probably never know the truth.
Do you really believe that this womans kid would still be friend ?
hard to believe.
Leibell, you are next….Wonder Lake, baby
Ahh the Sexual harassment didn’t work so now we are on to crumby reporters. This is too much.
They attacked the woman with a vengenance and Ball is always open for comments as it is publicity.
Go into Balls growing up for a change of senery. People do anything for a story.
Silver and his cabal have repeatedly looked away from verifiable rapists and perverts on the Assembly Democrat staffs; They could hardly hope to successfully nail Ball on much lesser, unproved charges. One hopes the stick insect speaker doesn’t think Ball owes him a favor and some votes for his pet taxpayer- raping projects.
Are they that desparate to keep Republican seats in Albany that they let Ball off of the hook and now Ball owes back the favor? Interesting thought you have.
Maybe now the dudes that were with Ball may have a change of heart and come forward!
When will poor John Degnan wake up and realize that he was used?
When he finally realizes it, he may snap…lord knows he has a bad temper.
And in the end, Ball is stronger than ever…
Boy, Leibell was ill advised on this one. Badly.
Degnan seems like a nice enough guy but he definately does not have the cunning that Ball has. Ball can get away with anything and be believable. He has a natural talent for that.
zig, so what’s better? a guy who can lie and look you straight in the face or someone who is honest to a fault.
when it comes to an elected official, i’ll take honesty any day. that’s why i’m supporting john degnan.
ball is a slick politician and he constantly lies and then when he gets caught become emotional and irrational, putting on a show for everyone to see.
honesty matters.
Hey Zag, I hear ya. I was just saying that Ball can pull the wool over most eyes and has a gift for that. Did not mean in a good way!
Honest does matter so Degnan will get the honest mans vote.
John Degnan will not only get the “honest mans vote” but he will also attract significantly more unaffiliated voters than Greg Ball.
While the 99th still has a Republican enrollment edge, the unaffiliated voters still remain the deciders in most contentious elections. They supported Ball in 2006 but that was before his radical right-wing views were widely known.
If the unaffiliated voters in the 99th follow the state-wide trends then they too will be voting for Obama, increasing the number of pulls on the Democratic line. In a Presidential year anything is possible.
I predict Degnan capturing the votes of disaffected Republicans (read: moderate or liberal Republicans), most Democrats, and a solid majority of unaffiliated and Independence voters.
There really is no way Ball can overcome this tsunami.
Just make sure everyone gets out to vote and votes all the way down the line!
Bounce the Ball out of office in Nov 08.
The “Honest man” Degnan;
Lied about Greg Ball’s service record insulting tens of thousands of American veterans in the process…
Lied about Greg Ball being a “stalker” and having had a restraining order on him.
Lied about Greg Ball’s voting record.
Lied about Greg Ball’s support for Michael Rights.
Lied about Greg Ball’s so called “secret” agenda.
Lied about running a “clean campaign.”
Such an honorable vote of confidence. Replace a jerk with a liar. Good for Brewster, bad for NY.
Oh boy, SR the jokster had the best punch line on his last post…”Such an honorable vote of confidence. Replace a jerk with a liar. Good for Brewster, bad for NY.”
Gotta give this guy some credit for a great sense of humor, hahahahahaha…replace a jerk…Ball? with a liar…Degnan !!!!!!!!
Keep up the jokes SR, your a funny guy for sure. hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Also don’t forget that the Assembly has been dominated by the Democrats for a considerable amount of time. It doesn’t matter what national spotlight brings local races are not quite as well defined by the same standards. Most people are aware that the Dems have controlled the Assembly and to flip more Dems, even a Republicrat like Degnan, will not be a given. Ball defeated Harper by a pretty wide margin last election. With this smear campaign on him there are a lot of voters flocking to his court.
SR the jokster always there with an opinion.
The master of smear campaigning is Ball but he does it under the illusion of being innocent.
Ball probably will get elected and that SR will be such a joke. Keep us laughing SR the jokster. hahahahahahaha