A former millennial mayor of a wealthy Hamptons city has been accused of trying to pimp his ex-secretary for political favors in a new lawsuit.
Jesse Warren, 39, was elected in 2019 at the age of 36 as the youngest-ever mayor of Southampton Village in Long Island, New York, but faced several previous misconduct allegations during his time in office.
In a new lawsuit, his former secretary Miranda Weber claims he “had volatile outbursts, made inappropriate and gendered comments and intruded 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 on Long Island, New York, has been accused of trying to out his ex-secretary for political favors in a new lawsuit
Warren’s former secretary Miranda Weber (pictured) alleged in an explosive new lawsuit that Warren “had volatile outbursts, made inappropriate and gendered comments and invaded (her) personal life” when she worked for him.
Warren previously made headlines last year after being ousted from office, when a political rival subsequently bought 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, but her lawsuit was later dismissed by a judge. Warren denied the allegations against him.
The latest lawsuit filed by Weber, which Warren has not yet responded to, alleges that the former mayor harassed his former secretary, including allegations that he tried to pimp her out for political gain.
Warren pictured with his wife Martyna Sokol, who married shortly before being elected mayor in 2019 at the age of 36
The mayor tried to put her in touch with a village administrator named Joseph McLoughlin because he needed his vote on a police chief contract, the lawsuit alleges.
Warren is said to have repeatedly “ordered” his secretary to meet with McLoughlin about the “important” vote, telling her that he “really liked women, especially young women,” and saying that “McLoughlin liked her.”
It is not alleged that McLoughlin was a party to this alleged coercion, although the lawsuit alleges that during their interaction, McLoughlin “noticed that she was working too hard and suggested they go out for drinks sometime.”
Weber said she was in her mid-20s at the time, and the only way out of the situation was to come up with all sorts of excuses, including pretending she had Covid.
The lawsuit claims Warren tried to force Weber to get drinks from Village Administrator Joseph McLoughlin (pictured) because he needed his vote on a police chief’s contract
She also alleged that Warren made her do her job while sitting Shiva in front of her grandmother, part of which she said was Warren’s “discriminatory hostility toward female employees.”
In another case, she claimed that Warren “went into a fit of rage” when she was called for jury duty.
The young mayor would 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 ultimately resigned in 2022 after what she described as “insidious harassment, discrimination and retaliation” by Warren, she claimed she was owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid overtime.
Last year, Warren came under fire from locals after allegedly leaking a confidential letter while Weber tried to resolve the claims privately, leading to his former running mate’s ouster as mayor that summer.
The current mayor, William (Bill) Manger, told the New York Post that his city was “concerned” about the lawsuit, but he did not issue a statement.
