Unredacted report on former DC deputy mayor John Falcicchio sexual harassment case leaked
WASHINGTON - An unredacted report about sexual harassment allegations against former D.C. Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio has been leaked.
In that leaked report, Falcicchio was accused by one of the victims of using the office as a "dating ground" while attorneys said he "had a longstanding pattern of sexual harassment and predatory behavior."
Councilmember Brianne Nadeau expressed her outrage on social media.
In a statement posted on X, she said in part,
"I'm greatly disappointed that someone chose to leak the report to the media before redactions could be made to protect the victims. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes victims hesitate to come forward."
FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh says the leak comes just days after D.C. officials settled with two women who accused Falcicchio of making numerous unwanted physical and sexual advances toward them in 2020 and 2022.
Nadeau says the report lays out recommendations from an independent investigator on how the mayor’s investigation into Falcicchio’s actions could have been handled differently and better.
READ MORE: Settlement reached in former DC deputy mayor's sexual harassment case
It also makes recommendations as to what the D.C. government can do to prevent sexual harassment in the future, Umeh reports.
In a joint statement from the victims’ attorneys Debra Katz and Kayla Morin, they say:
"Our understanding is that this report outlined an abusive pattern of behavior from a powerful man, but somehow was unable to substantiate retaliation for refusing his advances. It's unacceptable that our clients have had to endure investigations for more than a year only to have a report leaked without any warning."
READ MORE: Investigation says Falcicchio engaged in incidents of physical sexual advances with 2nd staffer
Councilmember Nadeau says from the start the goal of the report was transparency.
She says she will ask council to speed up their review so that a reached version of the report that protects the victims’ identity can be released to the public.