Albany Prosecutor's Office to Investigate Assemblyman Vito Lopez

A person familiar with the probe tells The Associated Press the Albany County district attorney is now joining a special prosecutor who is investigating a sexual harassment case in the Assembly. WAMC’s Dave Lucas reports…

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the addition of DA David Soares' office to the effort led by Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan hasn't yet been announced.

Donovan is examining the case of Democratic Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who was censured by the Assembly Aug. 24 following accusations of sexual harassment by women staffers. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver agreed to a secret $103,000 settlement in July using public money to settle two other accusers' claims against Lopez.

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes worked politically with Lopez so he asked Donovan, a Republican, to lead the investigation.

©2012 Associated Press