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A top aide to Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing questions over what he knew about a notorious rape case against a powerful Democratic Party insider who became a sex offender.
Attorney Carrie Goldberg said she wants to grill Mamdani’s First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan related to her claims by her client Elizabeth Crothers that she was sexually assaulted by then-state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s chief legal counsel in 2001.
Fuleihan was working for Silver and Assembly Democrats at the time of the alleged attack by counsel Michael Boxley — and during an alleged “smear campaign” that followed against her client, the lawyer said.
“First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan was a top budget aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver during the relevant period. I’m interested in knowing his recollection from that time,” Goldberg said.
“Silver ran a very tight office,” the lawyer added. “Anyone who managed Silver’s budget has a lot of insight. A smear campaign was waged against Elizabeth Crothers. I’d like to know what Dean knows about this.”
Goldberg said Fuleihan, who handed finances for the Assembly, could have been involved in strategy sessions over how to handle the explosive in-house investigation of the rape case, including discussing whether or not to offer a payout to the alleged victim.
Crothers filed a negligence lawsuit three years ago, when the Adult Survivors Act opened a temporary window that suspended the statute of limitations and allowed alleged victims to file sexual assault lawsuits in the Empire State.
Goldberg said the alleged attack and retaliation came years before the #MeToo movement cracked down on powerful men getting away with sexual abuse and harassment.
“I want to know if Dean Fuleihan, in his capacity as first deputy mayor, believes Elizabeth Crothers’ case would be treated differently. How would it have been handled in a 2026 administration?” Goldberg said.
Boxley has denied sexually abusing Crothers but he did plead guilty in December 2003 to one count of sexual misconduct after another Assembly staffer, Rikki Shaw, accused him of sexually assaulting her.
He eventually received a sentence of six years of probation, a $1,000 fine and was required to register as a sex offender.
Shaw filed a criminal case against Boxley as “Jane Doe” but she identified herself last October when she filed an affidavit in the civil lawsuit brought against the state by Crothers, who had accused Boxley of rape before Shaw.
Shaw agreed that Fuleihan should be questioned about what he knows.
“Fuleihan would know if there was a strategy to silence Elizabeth and what that was,” Shaw told The Post. “If Fuleihan was in charge of the money, he would know what was going on.”
But Fuleihan, through a City Hall spokesperson, said he had “no involvement” in handling the Crothers complaint against Boxley.
“As Secretary of the Ways and Means Committee and Secretary to the Speaker for Program and Policy in the State Assembly, First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan had no involvement in the handling of these allegations or in any settlement discussions related to this matter,” Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said.
“Our administration has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and sexual assault. We take every allegation seriously, and we will continue to support survivors and ensure that anyone seeking justice has the support they need.”
Fuleihan is not accused of any wrongdoing, and he was not asked to provide a deposition or statement during the discovery phase of the case.
State Court of Claims Judge Ramon Rivera issued an order refusing to toss the major claims in Crothers’ lawsuit that alleges sexual harassment and hostile work environment, including retaliation.
The judge dismissed other claims, including negligence related to the state Assembly’s training and supervision at the time of the incident.
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