A New York Democrat blamed “institutional misogyny” as she resigned from her government leadership position in the wake of accusations a staffer tried to solicit someone he thought was an underaged girl.
Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Catherine Borgia stepped down on Friday under pressure from colleagues who said she failed to act when she was told in December that the staffer was caught on video by a vigilante group that tricked him into thinking he was meeting a 14-year-old.
She resigned after bringing forth a lawsuit on Wednesday that temporarily prevented her colleagues from voting her off as top lawmaker, but that order was lifted on Friday. She resigned 30 minutes before fellow legislators were slated to hold a vote, The Journal News reported.
Borgia, in a statement released Friday, argued that “institutional misogyny” led to her resignation, the New York Post reported.
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“Every Chair of this body will be seated knowing that if nine colleagues disagree with any of the myriad decisions that the position requires, he/she/they can also be removed at any time,” Borgia said in the statement following her resignation. “I’m saddened that my colleagues chose to take the path that most endangers the work of the County.”
Borgia will hold onto her board seat despite vacating her leadership position. The Democratic-heavy board is composed of 17 legislators, seven of whom are women.
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“I believe the events of the past 10 days have been politically motivated and based in institutional misogyny that is all too pervasive in the brutal, reactive and mean-spirited political world in which we all now live,” Borgia told the Post.
“However, the past 10 days have also included an overwhelming amount of support, encouragement, love and well wishes; some from surprising quarters. I cannot tell you how heartened I have been to receive it. Thank you to all of you,” she said.
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Former legislative aide Anand Singh, 33, was fired on April 13 after video published by vigilante group OBL Global showed him allegedly trying to meet up with someone he thought was an underaged girl in New Jersey.
The 31-minute video shows a man, reportedly Singh, messaging with someone he thought was a 14-year-old female, but was actually an OBL Global “decoy.” The messages become more sexual in nature, the video shows, with Singh allegedly saying he could “def teach” her “a thing or two,” speculating that she weighs less than 100 pounds, and asking if she was on birth control.
“What are you gonna bring tomorrow,” the decoy asks in a phone call, according to the video.
“I can bring some toys. You know, Plan B,” Singh allegedly responds before saying, “I’ll see you in a bit, baby girl.”
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Members of OBL Global confronted Singh in New Jersey, where he allegedly thought the girl was located.
Though the video was only publicly released on April 12, Borgia was aware of the allegations going back to December. She said she took the accusations “very seriously” since she first found out about them, but her colleagues raised questions over why Singh was only fired this month.
Singh has not been arrested, but Borgia previously said she referred the case to the FBI and the Westchester District Attorney’s Office is looking into the matter.
It appears the OBL Global video published earlier this month is no longer active on the group’s YouTube page.
Borgia’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.