A former millennial mayor of an affluent Hamptons town has been accused of trying to pimp out his ex-secretary for political favors in a new lawsuit.
Jesse Warren, 39, was elected as the youngest ever mayor of Southampton Village in Long Island, New York, in 2019 aged 36, but faced several previous allegations of misconduct in office.
In a new lawsuit, his former secretary Miranda Weber alleges that he ‘had volatile outbursts, made inappropriate and gendered comments, and encroached on (her) personal life.’
Included in the bombshell lawsuit are allegations that Warren tried to coerce Weber into a ‘quid pro quo relationship with Trustee to secure a political favor.’
Jesse Warren, 39, the youngest ever mayor of Southampton Village in Long Island, New York, has been accused of trying to pump out his ex-secretary for political favors in a new lawsuit
Warren’s former secretary Miranda Weber (pictured) claimed in an explosive new lawsuit that Warren ‘had volatile outbursts, made inappropriate and gendered comments, and encroached on (her) personal life’ when she worked for him
Warren previously made headlines last year after he was booted from office, as a political rival subsequently purchased the building he lived in and then moved to evict him, reports the New York Post.
He also faced allegations in January 2023 that he created a hostile work environment and subjected employees to gender and age discrimination, according to a complaint filed by then-Southampton Village Administrator and Chief Financial Officer Charlene Kagel-Betts.
Kagel-Betts’ complaint included claims that she observed Warren’s alleged targeting of Weber, however her suit was later dismissed by a judge. Warren denied the allegations against him.
In the latest lawsuit filed by Weber, which Warren has not yet responded to, it was claimed that the former mayor harassed his former secretary, including allegations he tried to pimp her out for political gain.
Warren pictured with his wife Martyna Sokol, who got married shortly before he was elected mayor aged 36 in 2019
The mayor tried to set her up with a village trustee named Joseph McLoughlin because he needed his vote on a police chief’s contract, the lawsuit claims.
Warren allegedly repeatedly ‘ordered’ his secretary to meet McLoughlin regarding the ‘important’ vote, told her that he ‘really liked women, particularly young women’, and mentioned that ‘McLoughlin liked her.’
There is no claim that McLoughlin was party to this alleged coercion, although it is alleged in the lawsuit that when they interacted, McLoughlin ‘commented that she worked too hard and suggested that they go out for a drink sometime.’
Weber said she was in her mid-20’s at the time, and she only got out of the situation by coming up with a variety of excuses, including faking having Covid.
The lawsuit claims that Warren tried to coerce Weber to get drinks with village trustee Joseph McLoughlin (pictured) because he needed his vote on a police chief’s contract
She also claimed that Warren made her work while she was sitting Shiva for her grandmother, part of what she said was Warren’s ‘discriminatory animus toward female employees.’
In another instance, she claimed Warren flew ‘into a fit of rage’ when she was called for jury duty.
The young mayor would allegedly make her work overtime and on weekends, and ‘threatened to withhold a promotion and raise unless she capitulated to his various demands’, the lawsuit said.
When Weber eventually resigned in 2022 following what she described as ‘insidious harassment, discrimination, and retaliation’ at the hands of Warren, she claimed she was owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid overtime.
Last year, Warren came under fire from locals after he allegedly leaked a confidential letter while Weber tried to resolve claims privately, leading him to be removed as mayor by his former running mate that summer.
The current mayor, William (Bill) Manger, told the New York Post that his town was ‘concerned’ by the lawsuit, but he did not issue a statement.