A fourth man has accused Seattle Mayor
Ed Murray of paying him for sex as a teenager.
According to The Seattle Times,
Maurice Jones, 44, claims in a sworn court declaration that he was
introduced to Murray by Delvonn Heckard, the man suing Murray over
allegation of sexual abuse as a teenager.
In a brief declaration, Jones said that
Murray “gave [him] money for sex.”
An attorney representing Heckard said
that Jones remembers two instances where Murray paid him for sex as a
teenager, once in his apartment and once in a car.
Jeff Reading, a spokesman for Murray,
denied Jones' claims.
“As we’ve seen repeatedly from
opposing counsel, this filing fits firmly into the category of
sensational media stunt. Mayor Murray does not know this person. This
is an ambush copycat false accusation that is being made without any
details, evidence, timeline or anything at all to substantiate its
veracity. Mayor Murray has never had inappropriate relations with any
minor, and Mayor Murray has never paid for sex,” Reading said in a
statement.
Jones made the allegations in a
handwritten declaration taken at the King County Regional Justice
Center, where Jones has been held on drug charges since late March.
After Heckard, 46, filed his lawsuit
last month, two men, Jeff Simpson and Lloyd Anderson, made similar
allegations. All four men have “histories of drug use and serious
criminal records,” the
Times
reported.
The 61-year-old Murray was elected
mayor in 2014 after nearly two decades of service in the Washington
State Legislature. He is currently seeking re-election. Murray's
husband Michael Shiosaki works for the city of Seattle.