A former state senator from Colorado, Sonya Jaquez Lewis, has been charged with a felony related to attempts to influence a public servant, raising serious ethical concerns as she faces ongoing investigations.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office filed the charge on July 6 against Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, according to court records.
The charge came to light recently, having not been publicly announced by prosecutors at the time of filing. It was first reported by Colorado Politics.
Attempting to influence a public servant is classified as a Class 4 felony in Colorado, which carries a potential sentence of up to six years in prison and fines reaching $500,000.
Documents indicate that the alleged offense took place between January 31 and February 11, prior to Jaquez Lewis’ resignation from the legislature on February 18.
Although further details remain scarce, a spokesperson for the Denver District Attorney’s Office stated that more information would be available following a scheduled release on Tuesday.
Jaquez Lewis has a court date set for August 7 for her arraignment, where she will face the allegations in front of a judge.
Her attorney, Craig Lewis Truman, expressed confidence in Jaquez Lewis’ innocence, stating, “I’m sure when all the facts are known in this difficult and complex case that justice will be done.”
The former senator’s departure from the legislature took place amid troubling allegations regarding the treatment of her aides.
Jaquez Lewis resigned while the Senate Ethics Committee was probing a complaint concerning her conduct towards her Capitol aides, particularly regarding her submission of a letter of support that was deemed fabricated.
This letter, which claimed to be from a former aide, was later disputed, leading the aide to clarify that she hadn’t written it, nor had she been in contact with Jaquez Lewis for over a year before the letter submission.
Upon confrontation, Jaquez Lewis asserted that she was simply relaying information from past conversations. However, the letter appeared on official letterhead and was written in the first person, stating, “She was a terrific boss. I would tell anyone to work with Sen. Jaquez Lewis anytime and anywhere.”
In an earlier statement, Jaquez Lewis described the letter’s submission as an accidental error and sought its removal from public records. However, she did not provide clarity on whether she authored the contested letter or any other letters submitted to the Ethics Committee.
Jaquez Lewis submitted several similar letters to the Senate Ethics Committee, with legislative staff struggling to verify their authenticity.
In addition to these charges, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is currently reviewing her campaign finance practices, prompted by a prior complaint regarding potentially improper campaign spending and failing to report campaign expenditures accurately.
Following a thorough investigation, the Secretary of State’s Office has the option to either file a complaint leading to a hearing, which may result in fines, or may choose to dismiss the allegations.
In recent months, numerous former aides of Jaquez Lewis have reported experiences of alleged mistreatment, shedding light on a troubling work environment.
Two staffers who worked for her last year even filed a workplace misconduct grievance, claiming that Jaquez Lewis coerced one of them into performing personal chores, such as yard work and bartending at her home.
One aide reported feeling pressured to accept these informal side jobs, fearing that declining would jeopardize his chances for a promotion during the upcoming legislative session.
After accepting these roles, this staffer was promoted, although his promotion was later rescinded, resulting in his termination.
Jaquez Lewis faced additional scrutiny when, at the beginning of 2024, she lost her position as chair of the Senate Local Government and Housing Committee and was barred from sponsoring a critical wage theft bill amid accusations of withholding payment from one of her aides.
In April 2024, four former staff members shared details with Colorado Public Radio, describing conditions of absent wages, unreasonable work schedules, and restrictive communication practices that hindered their ability to connect with others in the Democratic political community.
The aides, along with a former campaign manager, did not overlap with the individuals who initially filed the workplace misconduct grievance but echoed similar themes of mistreatment.
Following the mounting claims of misconduct, Democratic leaders in the Senate took action by prohibiting Jaquez Lewis from employing state-funded legislative aides and stripping her of committee assignments.
Furthermore, in January of the current year, an ethics complaint was officially submitted against her by four of her former aides and a former campaign manager through the Political Workers Guild, which represents Democratic political staff.
Responding to the allegations, Jaquez Lewis vehemently denied any wrongdoing, suggesting the complaints were politically motivated attempts to enact collective bargaining power for her aides.
In her formal response to the ethics complaint, she characterized the accusations as baseless compilations of incidents aimed at scapegoating her for broader issues within the legislative staff.
Jaquez Lewis claimed, “I am being dragged through the mud for political ends. With false allegations, the PWG is using me to showcase its concerns,” indicating her hope for exoneration as the legal processes unfold.
The ramifications of these developments continue to unfold as the case progresses, drawing attention to broader issues of ethics and accountability within legislative practices.
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