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#Letitia James ex-chief accused of sex harassment got $30K raise in 2022

“Letitia James ex-chief accused of sex harassment got $30K raise in 2022”

Ibrahim Khan, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ chief of staff, who resigned after sexual harassment allegations, received a fat $30,000 salary hike this year — and he’s still on the payroll through year’s end.

Payroll records obtained by The Post show that Khan’s salary jumped from $205,663 to $235,000 in March during James’ bid for re-election.

Khan, James’ chief of staff for 10 years, was considered a top political adviser with ties to the attorney general’s campaign consultants the Mirram Group — co-founded by Roberto Ramirez and Luis Miranda, the dad of playwright Lin Manuel-Miranda.

Khan submitted his resignation on Nov. 22 — before an independent investigation conducted on behalf of James’ office concluded on Dec. 2 and found that he engaged in sexual harassment or misconduct involving two former staffers.

But the resignation is not effective until Dec. 31.

Khan was accused of sexual harassment.
Ibrahim Kham received a fat $30,000 salary hike this year.
New York State Attorney General

“His involvement in any official office matter ceased on Friday, Dec. 2. He is being paid out his leave balance, but is not engaged on any matter relating to the office,” James’ deputy general counsel Serena Longley said in a timeline and documents provided to reporters earlier this week.

The attorney general has said she was first made aware of the accusations against Khan on Oct. 2, A day later, General Counsel for the Attorney General Larry Schimmel asked Khan to work remotely and “refrain from socializing with any anyone” from James’ office.

But critics slammed James for later allowing Khan to resign without penalty and for permitting him be compensated even after the Dec. 2 investigation concluded he mistreated former female staffers, and for keeping the probe secret until well after the Nov. 8 election.

“He should be fired for cause and someone who engaged in substantiated sexual harassment and misconduct should not be receiving a government paycheck or benefits,” said Michael Henry, the Republican candidate for attorney general.

James has denied these allegations.
James was accused of covering up accusations against Khan to win her re-election.
Paul Martinka

James, a Democrat, won a second term after refusing to debate Henry.

State Conservative Party chairman Jerry Kassar said of Khan still getting compensated, “It’s atrocious. It’s wrong on so many levels.”

In a report published Wednesday by the New York Times, former James aide Sofia Quintanar, 33, said she was among the women whose accusations led to Khan’s resignation.

Quintanar said Khan grabbed her and “forced his tongue down my throat” outside a Brooklyn bar in November 2021.

Quintanar reportedly accused James of withholding the allegations against Khan in a bid to let him resign with his reputation intact and compared that to James’ sexual harassment probe that forced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign in disgrace last year, even though he denies any wrongdoing.

The Times also said Khan was accused of groping and kissing a former colleague of Quintanar’s, citing two people familiar with that woman’s accusations.

A spokesperson for the attorney general said the office addressed Khan’s payroll status when it released a timeline and documents about the case Monday night.

James denied to a Post reporter that she hid sexual harassment complaints against her chief of staff to win re-election — claiming that she was “protecting the rights” of his accusers.

And the powerful AG  — under fire for burying the case despite having led the sexual harassment probe that forced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo from office last year — insisted that concealing her investigation of longtime aide Ibrahim Khan was “by no means” tied to her race for a second term in office.

Quintanar's allegations led to Khan's resignation.
Sofia Quintanar accused Khan of forcibly kissing her outside a bar.

“We’re protecting the rights of individuals and it’s important to understand this was a private investigation, which is separate and apart from the investigation we did into the former governor — which was a governmental investigation and a lawful investigation pursuant to a referral,” James told The Post outside her Brooklyn brownstone Wednesday.

James, in a subsequent interview with NY1 on Wednesday night, insisted she handled the investigation of Khan by the book and “we engaged in decisive and appropriate action.”

“We did a thorough, independent investigation without a conflict of interest or any impropriety,” she said.

James insisted she was angered by Khan’s abusive behavior — and did not rule out making a referral to a prosecutor to investigate a potential crime.

“I’m angry because he was my chief of staff for ten years. I’m deeply disappointed in him and there’s no excuse for his behavior at all. None whatsoever,” James told host Errol Louis on NY1’s “Inside City Hall.”

“We will consider the possibility of a referral,” she said. 

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