Lawyer: NYC Councilman Will Fight Indictment In Sex Case - Investigations News Story - WNBC | New YorkNEW YORK -- A city councilman was turning himself in Friday to face charges stemming from a sexual encounter in his Queens office, his lawyer said.
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The indictment against Councilman Dennis Gallagher had not been unsealed early Friday, and attorney Stephen R. Mahler said he was unsure what the exact charges would be. Gallagher expected to be arraigned on Friday, his lawyer said.
The Queens district attorney's office declined to comment, but scheduled a news conference to "announce the results of the grand jury's investigation into rape allegations." Mahler said Gallagher planned to fight the charges. According to the allegations, Gallagher -- a married father of two who represents part of Queens -- met his accuser in a bar on the night of the encounter, and the two arranged to leave together for his office, Mahler said. The date and other details were not immediately available. The woman said the sexual contact which occurred was not consensual. Gallagher acknowledges the encounter, but "our position is everything was totally consensual -- her story makes no sense," Mahler said. "He concedes that it was morally bad conduct on his part, but he absolutely and vehemently denies any criminal wrongdoing." Authorities raided Gallagher's office last month. Mahler said Gallagher later testified before the grand jury, despite what the attorney described as his standard advice to clients against doing so. "He felt, as an officeholder, he owed it his constituents not to hide behind legalisms and to appear before the grand jury and tell his side of it," Mahler said. Gallagher, elected to the council in 2001, is one of three Republicans in the 51-member panel. He lives in the Middle Village section of Queens with his family, according to the council's Web site. Council Speaker Christine Quinn on Thursday described the allegations against Gallagher as "deeply troubling." She said in a statement that the council's Standards and Ethics Committee would weigh the case as soon as next week.
