Democrat-backed PAC files ethics complaint against Anthony D'Esposito 

WASHINGTON — A Democratic-aligned political action committee filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Tuesday, calling for an investigation over whether he violated rules governing lawmakers when he hired his fiancée's daughter and an alleged paramour for taxpayer-funded jobs in his district office.

The complaint, filed by End Citizens United, a Washington-based political action committee, comes just over two weeks after the New York Times published a story noting that D’Esposito, a freshman House Republican from Island Park, hired his fiancée's daughter and also an alleged mistress to work at his Garden City office.

D’Esposito, who is running against Democrat Laura Gillen, for New York’s 4th Congressional District seat in a race that has captured national attention, has denied any wrongdoing.

In the six-page complaint, Tiffany Muller, the president of the organization, urges the nonpartisan office to investigate whether D’Esposito violated House rules barring the employment of relatives when he hired Tessa Lark, the daughter of his longtime fiancee Cynthia Lark, to work in his district office.

The complaint also contends D’Esposito may have violated House ethics rules governing behavior by allegedly having an affair with a married woman, Devin Faas, and later giving her a part-time job in the district office. The complaint also raises questions as to whether Faas indeed worked for his office given her employment as a secretary with the Town of Hempstead at the time at the time.

"Representative D’Esposito has turned his office into a playground for corruption and unethical behavior," Muller said in a statement to Newsday. "We urge the Office of Congressional Ethics to immediately launch an investigation and hold him accountable for these apparent violations."

The Office did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment on Tuesday.

The Congressional Integrity Project, a political group that targets Republican lawmakers with alleged ethical violations, previously filed a complaint with the Office a day after the Times published its Sept. 23 article on D’Esposito.

Asked about the latest ethics complaint, D'Esposito's campaign spokesman, Matt Capp, maintained the congressman "has never violated any House ethics rules" and argued the complaint "is just another example of a leftist advocacy group engaging in partisan attacks."

Faas on Tuesday could not be reached for comment at two phone numbers listed under her name, which were disconnected.

Payroll reports obtained by Newsday confirm that Faas received $7,400 in wages from April 1, 2023, through July 21, 2023, and Tessa Lark received $20,258 in wages from Jan. 3, 2023, to June 30, 2023.

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.