Administrative assistant accuses Connecticut mayor of sexual harassment

An administrative assistant has reportedly filed a complaint against a Connecticut mayor, alleging he exposed himself to her as part of a pattern of sexual harassment.

The complaint, filed earlier this month by Francine Carbone, alleges East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. exposed himself to her in October 2013 and made repeated comments about her breasts. Carbone claims Maturo also grabbed his crotch in front of her, the Hartford Courant reports.

"Mayor Maturo's constant sexual harassment has made my working conditions intolerable and has caused me to suffer severe emotional distress," Carbone, who went on leave under the Family Medical Leave Act on May 5, said in her complaint.

Her attorney, John Williams of East Haven, says the mayor was warned in front of witnesses by the town's police chief that some of his actions constituted sexual harassment.

Maturo, meanwhile, characterized Carbone — an assistant to the director of housing and urban renewal and an employee of the town since 1997 — as a disgruntled employee on the verge of being terminated.

“With regard to the complaint itself, I am confident that as this legal process unfolds, further investigation will prove all of Ms. Carbone's allegations to be both unmerited and false,” the statement read.