NY State Lawmaker Charged With Domestic Violence

A New York state senator has been charged with domestic abuse and that led to his removal as Chairman.

Democratic New York Senator Luis Sepulveda was the chairperson of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee. He was arrested on Tuesday and charged with a misdemeanor offense of Criminal Obstruction of Breathing in a domestic abuse incident.

The 56-year old Bronx senator was involved in a domestic incident on Saturday involving himself and a 40-year-old female. The 911 caller advised that a male and a female were inside of a residence and were involved in a domestic incident where each party accused the other of assault.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) removed Mr. Sepulveda from his leadership role. She said, “We learned of this disturbing incident this morning. I am immediately removing Senator Sepulveda as chair of his committee and from all his committee assignments. I take these allegations extremely seriously and will be monitoring this situation closely.“

This is not the first time that Senator Sepulveda has been involved in a domestic violence incident. In 2015 his estranged wife sought a protective order against him.

Senator Sepulveda’s attorney, Marvin Ray Raskin, says the allegations against his client are false. He says that the charges are a result of ongoing divorce proceedings. He says that the senator's estranged wife is attempting to gain leverage in divorce negotiations that also involve a young child. He also claims that his client has been the victim of domestic physical violence by his estranged wife for many years.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing and if Senator Sepulveda is convicted of this crime, several members of the legislature are calling for him to step down.