Bronx State Senator Who Chairs Crime Victims Committee Surrenders To Police For Allegedly Choking Wife

Bronx State Senator Luis Sepulveda, a candidate for borough president, was stripped of his committee assignments shortly after surrendering to police on Tuesday over allegations he tried to strangle his wife.

Police say Sepulveda, who represents the 32nd Senate District that covers Parkchester, Soundview, Harding Park, Morrisania, and Melrose, had allegedly choked a woman on Saturday morning in his home, hours before touring a COVID-19 vaccination site in the Bronx. According to the NYPD, officers responded to a 911 call for a "domestic incident" around 5:45 a.m. on Saturday. Upon arrival, police say a woman, later identified in the media as Sepulveda's wife, accused him of assault, while he claimed she assaulted him.

On Tuesday, Sepulveda turned himself in to police at the 48th Precinct and was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, according to the NYPD. The Times Union reports the victim was his wife.

The resulting allegations led Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to remove Sepulveda as chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction and seats in the Codes, Judiciary, and Mental Health committees on Tuesday.

"We learned of this disturbing incident this morning," Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. "I am immediately removing Senator Sepulveda as chair of his committee and from all committee assignments. I take these allegations extremely seriously and will be monitoring this situation closely."

This isn't the first time Sepulveda had been accused of domestic abuse. In 2015, when Sepulveda was serving in the state Assembly, the Daily News reported that his wife had sought an order or protection against him after trying to block his wife from entering their home to retrieve belongings. The allegations were denied by both Sepulvedas. Early last year, Sepulveda's brother, who is currently incarcerated, accused Sepulveda of molesting him when they were young in a 13-page manifesto sent to all of his Senate colleagues. Sepulveda denied the allegations.

Sepulveda's attorney, Marvin Ray Raskin, portrayed Sepulveda as the "victim of recurring physical violence by his estranged spouse for approximately nine years." Raskin said they stayed together for the sake of their young child.

"This false accusation is a calculated attempt by a disgruntled party to leverage a divorce settlement from a case she filed in Florida this past November," Raskin said in a statement. "All allegations must be taken seriously and investigated to the full extent of the law, which is why the Senator is committed to and will proactively provide full transparency as this matter is resolved. The issues raised must see the full light of day, and we are confident that when the true history of the relationship is understood, the facts that present themselves will clear his name.”

The allegations made against Sepulveda do not bode well for his campaign for borough president, given the Bronx's consistently high rates of domestic violence incidents when compared to the rest of the city. Sepulveda had co-sponsored a number of bills that offered greater protections to domestic violence survivors, including one that imposed stiffer sentences for those found guilty of abusing their partner.

"Unfortunately, this is not the first time allegations of domestic violence have been brought against Senator Sepulveda," Assemblymember Nathalia Fernandez, also a candidate for borough president, wrote on Twitter. "We need leadership that empowers women — I’m calling for the Senator to submit his resignation."

Councilmember Fernando Cabrera, another candidate currently in the running for borough president, also excoriated the South Bronx Senator, calling Sepulveda's alleged actions "unconscionable."

“I’m calling on Senator Sepulveda to immediately resign from the Senate," Cabrera said. "Elected officials must hold themselves to high standards of conduct and Senator Sepulveda has continued to fall short. Especially in view of his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Crimes, Crime Victims and Corrections, he must resign immediately. I offer my heartfelt prayers to his wife and family.”