Naomi Seligman, the former communications director for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, has filed a criminal complaint alleging that Garcetti lied under oath when he said he was unaware of claims of wrongdoing against a top staffer and adviser.

The allegation comes while Garcetti awaits a vote of confidence from the United States Senate. After his nomination was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was appointed as ambassador to India.

Attorneys for Whistleblower Aid filed the complaint, which you can read here. The complaint also claims that the mayor tried to cover up sexual harassment allegations against Rick Jacobs, who worked as Garcetti's deputy chief of staff before going on to work for one of the mayor's non-profits. Although he resigned in October 2020, he has disputed the claims.

Garcetti allegedly lied in a deposition taken by Los Angeles police officer Matthew Garza, a member of Garcetti's security detail, according to Seligman. Garza believes that Garcetti was aware of some of Jacobs' actions but did nothing to intervene. Garza's lawsuit, according to Jacobs, is "pure fiction."

Garcetti allegedly lied under oath at his confirmation hearing in December, according to her complaint. When asked about Senator Jeanne Shaheen's (D-NH) charges, Garcetti claimed he "never witnessed nor was ever brought to my knowledge the behavior that's been described, and I want to assure you that if it had been, I would have taken quick action to stop it."

Individual senators did not protest to Garcetti's nomination passing through the committee.
Seligman filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, the California Attorney General, and the Los Angeles District Attorney, requesting that they take action. The materials were also submitted to the White House, the Office of the Inspector General at the State Department, and Senate leaders and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“The materials lay out in precise detail not just the extent of Rick Jacob’s misconduct, but also the repeated opportunities Eric Garcetti had to intervene and the specific instances in which he lied under oath about what he knew,” John Tye, Whistleblower Aid founder and chief disclosure officer, said in a statement.

Four people who worked with Garcetti allege that he was aware of the complaints against Jacobs, including Seligman. Jacobs "came into my office, and in front of my staff, he grabbed me and he held me, and then he kissed me on the lips in front of my staff for a long time."

She claims she immediately alerted Ana Guerrero, Garcetti's chief of staff, but was told that the mayor "would never fire or do anything about Jacobs." Guerrero has denied receiving Seligman's complaint.

In response to Seligman's complaint, Garcetti's office issued a statement.

“There is nothing new here – and these false claims about the Mayor are just as ridiculous now as they were when they were first made. The Mayor stands by his testimony unequivocally, and more than a dozen witnesses have testified under oath that he was never made aware of any improper behavior.”