Nassau County prosecutors have charged Hempstead Town Clerk Mark Bonilla with a second count of official misconduct after authorities said they uncovered new evidence in the alleged sex-harassment cover-up case.
The 50-year-old attorney from Bellmore will face the new charge during his court appearance Oct. 26. Bonilla pleaded not guilty last weekend to official misconduct, attempted coercion and petit larceny.
Prosecutors said Bonilla asked the ex-boyfriend of female employee—both of whom worked in the clerk’s office but have since been transferred—to turn over intimate photos of the 21-year-old woman in order to get her to drop the complaint.
The woman is one of three women in their 20s who worked for Bonilla who have filed sexual harassment claims against him. Adrian DiLuzio, Bonilla’s attorney, has said his client—a married father of four—is being set up.
Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, a fellow Republican, and the GOP-controlled town board have called for Bonilla to step down amid the scandal, but Bonilla has refused.
Elected officials are automatically removed from office upon conviction of a felony under New York State law. Bonilla is facing four misdemeanors.