Anthony D’Esposito, a Republican congressman from New York, is in trouble after shocking allegations that he had an affair with a woman and then put her on his taxpayer-funded payroll.
According to the New York Times, the 42-year-old lawmaker had an affair with Devin Faas during his first term. It attributed the news of the relationship to four people familiar with it.
Since April of last year, Faas has been paid $2,000 a month for a part-time job in his district office.
The job came shortly after D’Esposito also hired his longtime fiancée’s daughter to work as a special assistant in the same district office shortly after he took the job, the New York Times also reported. Her salary was eventually raised to $3,800 a month.
The report found that the move to put both his mistress and his fiancée’s daughter on the taxpayer-funded payroll may have violated House ethics rules.
This comes as the congressman faces approaching elections in a district that voted for Biden in 2020 and could help determine the majority in the House of Representatives.
New York GOP Congressman Anthony D’Esposito is facing shocking allegations that he had an affair with a woman and then put her on his taxpayer-funded payroll. The New York Times reports that he also put his longtime fiancée’s daughter on the payroll of the same district office
The payments to both women stopped abruptly a few months later, in the summer of 2023, the New York Times reports.
According to the four people familiar with the relationship, that is around the time D’Esposito’s fiancée found out he was having an affair with Faas and briefly broke off the relationship with him.
His efforts on behalf of the two women earned him $29,000 in taxpayer money, which experts said could lead to disciplinary action in the House of Representatives, the experts told the Times.
DailyMail.com reached out to the congressman’s office by phone and email for comment but has not yet received a response.
A spokesman for the congressman did not deny the affair to the New York Times and declined to comment on the women’s employment.
“We don’t comment on personnel matters,” said Matt Capp.
He stated that the Congressman “remains focused on fighting for real issues that impact the people of Long Island, like securing our borders and ending the affordability crisis.”
Congressman D’Esposito (center) in January 2023, just after taking office. A spokesperson for his office did not deny the affair but would not comment on the employment of the two women, saying it “does not comment on personnel matters.”
When Faas was contacted by the New York Times, she replied, “No, thank you,” and hung up the phone.
The New York Times confirmed the affair to three people, including Faas’ ex-husband Derek Ciaschi, who said the affair marked the end of his marriage.
Text messages from 2022 were also examined which showed that D’Esposito and Faas exchange love letters and arrange meetings while he runs for Congress.
“Love you until Monday,” Faas wrote in a text message. D’Esposito replied, “lots of you.”
D’Esposito is a first-term legislator who has represented New York’s 4th congressional district on Long Island since early 2023. Before being elected to Congress, he served as a member of the Hempstead City Council.
He reportedly began a relationship with Faas, a married 38-year-old Hempstead city secretary, in 2021. According to her ex-husband, the affair ended the marriage and their divorce took place in the final months of the 2022 campaign.
The congressman’s longtime fiancée, Cynthia Lark, whom he had been dating since about 2010, told the New York Times that the affair was a ““A very painful time in my life,” but said their relationship was a “family matter.”
Biden won the Long Island district by 14 points in 2020, before D’Esposito won it by less than four points in 2022.
In November, he will face Democrat Laura Gillen again.