Ardila’s accuser cooperates with sexual assault probe

A woman who accused State Assemblymember Juan Ardila of sexual assault in 2015 is cooperating with a sex crimes probe into the incident. Photo fro Juan Ardila’s Campaign

By Ryan Schwach

One of the women who recently accused Queens State Assemblyman Juan Ardila of sexual assault during a 2015 party is participating in a sex crimes probe into the incident.

First reported by the New York Post, one of the two women who accused the junior Western Queens lawmaker of sexual assault at a 2015 party is speaking with law enforcement and prosecutors who have allegedly begun looking into the allegations first reported by the Queens Chronicle and the Eagle.

“I am moving forward with cooperating in a probe,” she told the Eagle, adding that she intends to press charges.

Due to the nature of the case, the woman, who requested anonymity, declined to offer any more details but said that she would be “pressing charges and am speaking with the special victims unit and the [Manhattan] district attorney's office.”

On Friday, the Chronicle reported that Ardila had hired an attorney to conduct an internal review of the allegations against him, an investigation that determined that he was not guilty.

However, the review did not include discussions with either of the accusers, the Chronicle reported, adding that the victim decided to cooperate with the law enforcement probe after she found out about the review.

The woman has alleged that Ardila inappropriately touched her on a couch at a party in 2015, and then forced himself on another woman at the same party not long after.

The first victim, who was 21 years old at the time, said the night of the party she was heavily intoxicated. Ardila, who was allegedly also at the party, previously had no interactions with the first victim.

The woman said she remembers sitting on the couch next to Ardila, and remembers him being “very close” to her and “touchy.”

“But I do remember being on the couch, in the living room kind of away from everyone else, with Juan and it was towards the very end of the night, so people were starting to leave and the party didn't feel as crowded,” she previously told the Eagle. “I remember he and I were close to each other, and he started getting physical with me.”

At that point, she said her memory cut out. Her friend, who also wished to remain anonymous, said she saw Ardila pulling the first victim into the bathroom, and decided to intervene.

“They crossed paths with me and I saw [the first victim] way beyond the ability to consent,” the friend told the Eagle. “So, I interceded and I just grabbed her arm and I said, like, ‘No, she's drunk,’ and that was the end of it.”

The other victim, who sent a statement about the incident through the first victim, said Ardila pulled her into a bathroom and then kissed her and exposed himself before she could get out of the bathroom.

Members of the legislature have already said that he would not face any internal punishment because Ardila was not an elected official at the time of the incident, however he was employed by then City Councilman, now City Comptroller Brad Lander, who was among several lawmakers to call for Ardila to resign after news of the incident broke.

After the story broke on March 13, a large number lawmakers from both sides of the isle, including Governor Kathy Hochul, called on Ardila to step down from the Assembly, where he represents parts of Long Island City, Sunnyside and Maspeth.

Notably, resignation calls came from several members of the Western Queens delegation who work closely with Ardila, as well as the Working Families Party and other groups that endorsed Ardila in his successful bid for election last year.

“I apologize for my behavior,” he said in one of two statements he issued after stories of his alleged behavior had already published. “I have spent time reflecting and I hope to prove I have matured since college.”

“I’m committed to learning from this and I am able to demonstrate my own personal growth,” he added.

Ardila has yet to respond directly to the calls for resignation.

Ardila’s public presence came to a halt in the weeks following the allegations. His first public comment was on March 22, when he announced on Twitter the passing of a resolution making March 22 “Water Day” in the state of New York. Nearly all the comments on the tweet referenced resignation.

Since then, Ardila has posted about clothing donations for asylum seekers, an appearance on Univision to discuss rising rents in Queens, a healthcare bill he sponsored being signed into law and, most recently, Transgender Day of Visibility.

The closest Ardila has come to acknowledging the resignation calls was on Thursday, when he was encountered by a reporter from The People’s Voice in Albany.

“Right now, we put out a statement, and I’ll have more to share shortly,” he said, declining to comment on if he would resign.

“Juan Ardila’s undermining of elected officials’ and my call for resignation is a clear sign that he is unfit for public office,” the victim told the Eagle. “I hope for a fair and swift investigation and justice will be served. Juan Ardila must be held accountable for the pain inflicted to his victims including those who may have not publicly come forward yet.”

Ardila’s office did not respond to requests for comments on Friday.