LANL exec quits after alleged sex assault
The New Mexican
Nico Roesler
Thursday, February 07, 2013
A division director at Los Alamos National Laboratory has retired amid allegations of sexual assault and battery by one of his employees.
Anthony “Tony” Stanford, 56, has been charged with two counts of assault and two counts of battery stemming from several physical interactions with one of his employees, dating to August 2012. Stanford is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Alamos Magistrate Court in March.
Stanford was the Emergency Services Division director and in charge of briefing officials during the Las Conchas Fire in 2011. He lives in Santa Fe.
According to police reports released this week, Stanford is accused of touching a 45-year-old female employee on her leg and, on separate occasions, pinning her against the wall of an elevator and an office.
The woman’s attorney, John Day, said Thursday that Stanford requested sexual acts from her with promises to promote her.
In a statement released Friday morning, Stanford’s attorney, Laurie Gallegos, said: "Mr. Stanford was not arrested, voluntarily provided a statement to the authorities, has produced and will continue to produce extensive evidence supporting his innocence with regard to these charges."
Day claims Stanford was given the option to retire or be fired by LANL. Lab spokesman Kevin Roark confirmed Stanford is no longer an employee, but he would not comment on the circumstances of Stanford’s departure from the lab.
Los Alamos police began investigating the case in January.
According to the police reports, the woman said she repeatedly told Stanford that she was “happily married” and that she had no interest in him.
Nevertheless, she said, he told her that “he found her very attractive, and if she wasn’t married he would pursue her hard.” The woman also said he called her a “sensuous and sensual woman” and claimed that “he was having a hard time concentrating when she was around.”
In November, the woman told officers, Stanford pinned her against the wall of an elevator and “pressed the front of his body against her.” She said she yelled at him and asked him what he thought he was doing, to which, and she said he replied, “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
The next month, the woman said, Stanford again tried to press her against a wall of an office after he told her that “she could at least give him a kiss or a hug” for Christmas. She told police Stanford had just given her two new wrist watches.
Following the December incident, the woman filed a complaint with the human resources department at LANL. She told police that she “feared retaliation for reporting this because it would not only affect her job but her husband’s as well.” Day said his client’s husband works in the same division.
According to police, Stanford admitted to touching the woman’s legs (in August) and making advances to her in the elevator in November. But he denied pinning her against the wall of the elevator. He said he put one arm against the wall and asked her, “Have you ever done it in an elevator?” He denied any inappropriate physical contact in the December incident, although he did admit to giving her the watches and asking her for a Christmas kiss.
Stanford insisted to police that “he had no intent on having an affair with her and that [his behavior] was ‘flirtatious.’ ” He also said he “obviously” offended the employee, but “he wished she would have been more upfront with him.”
At the end of the interview, the report said, Stanford “stated that she was lying about this and that it spoke to her character.”
Day said the woman has since filed a restraining order against Stanford. State District Judge Sheri Raphaelson approved a "no contact order" on Wednesday, according to Gallegos. Day said Stanford’s “outrageous conduct” has “traumatized” his client and her family.
The New Mexican
Nico Roesler
Thursday, February 07, 2013
A division director at Los Alamos National Laboratory has retired amid allegations of sexual assault and battery by one of his employees.
Anthony “Tony” Stanford, 56, has been charged with two counts of assault and two counts of battery stemming from several physical interactions with one of his employees, dating to August 2012. Stanford is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Alamos Magistrate Court in March.
Stanford was the Emergency Services Division director and in charge of briefing officials during the Las Conchas Fire in 2011. He lives in Santa Fe.
According to police reports released this week, Stanford is accused of touching a 45-year-old female employee on her leg and, on separate occasions, pinning her against the wall of an elevator and an office.
The woman’s attorney, John Day, said Thursday that Stanford requested sexual acts from her with promises to promote her.
In a statement released Friday morning, Stanford’s attorney, Laurie Gallegos, said: "Mr. Stanford was not arrested, voluntarily provided a statement to the authorities, has produced and will continue to produce extensive evidence supporting his innocence with regard to these charges."
Day claims Stanford was given the option to retire or be fired by LANL. Lab spokesman Kevin Roark confirmed Stanford is no longer an employee, but he would not comment on the circumstances of Stanford’s departure from the lab.
Los Alamos police began investigating the case in January.
According to the police reports, the woman said she repeatedly told Stanford that she was “happily married” and that she had no interest in him.
Nevertheless, she said, he told her that “he found her very attractive, and if she wasn’t married he would pursue her hard.” The woman also said he called her a “sensuous and sensual woman” and claimed that “he was having a hard time concentrating when she was around.”
In November, the woman told officers, Stanford pinned her against the wall of an elevator and “pressed the front of his body against her.” She said she yelled at him and asked him what he thought he was doing, to which, and she said he replied, “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
The next month, the woman said, Stanford again tried to press her against a wall of an office after he told her that “she could at least give him a kiss or a hug” for Christmas. She told police Stanford had just given her two new wrist watches.
Following the December incident, the woman filed a complaint with the human resources department at LANL. She told police that she “feared retaliation for reporting this because it would not only affect her job but her husband’s as well.” Day said his client’s husband works in the same division.
According to police, Stanford admitted to touching the woman’s legs (in August) and making advances to her in the elevator in November. But he denied pinning her against the wall of the elevator. He said he put one arm against the wall and asked her, “Have you ever done it in an elevator?” He denied any inappropriate physical contact in the December incident, although he did admit to giving her the watches and asking her for a Christmas kiss.
Stanford insisted to police that “he had no intent on having an affair with her and that [his behavior] was ‘flirtatious.’ ” He also said he “obviously” offended the employee, but “he wished she would have been more upfront with him.”
At the end of the interview, the report said, Stanford “stated that she was lying about this and that it spoke to her character.”
Day said the woman has since filed a restraining order against Stanford. State District Judge Sheri Raphaelson approved a "no contact order" on Wednesday, according to Gallegos. Day said Stanford’s “outrageous conduct” has “traumatized” his client and her family.
Comments
How come he wasn't fired? That's what would have happened to any non-management LANS employe in this situation.
Another case of the "Good ol' Boys" in upper management in LANS watching out for their own. Wanna explain this one to us, Charlie McMillan?
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'll bet this Division Director didn't take the sexual harassment online training that was mandatory for all employees last year.
February 11, 2013 at 9:54 PM"
The sexual harassment training seemed kind of silly but this
situation does sound kind like some of the videos they showed.
Is there an advantage over retiring vs being fired? I guess
if they fired him he could have sued.
Another case of the "Good ol' Boys" in upper management in LANS watching out for their own. Wanna explain this one to us, Charlie McMillan?
February 11, 2013 at 9:59 PM
Think about, were you in Stanford's shoes, whether you'd be screaming about "due process" and "innocent until proven guilty." Regardless of the outcome, one wonders if knee-jerk hatred of upper management has overcome reason and the search for truth.
As regards the de facto firing, I suspect that there is considerable history here that has yet to come to light.
You sound like a typical LANS management shill, 8:25 AM.
February 12, 2013 at 10:32 AM
You sound like one of those knee-jerk haters he was talking about. Never mind that the Kauppila case involved a whole different group of upper managers than exist now. They're all the same, right? Since when does expressing a hope for reason and truth constitute being a "management shill"? The correct response is "off with his head," right?
February 12, 2013 at 5:45 PM
Yeah, and I understand LANS will have to start placing guards in the titty bar on the NSSB 6th floor. The LANS management is being accused of being too "hands-on" across the board.
February 12, 2013 at 2:43 PM
Well, not exactly.
What a meatball.
As I think about it, I'd rather be gay. Those guys love the attention.
February 12, 2013 at 5:56 PM
It's funny this perverts name came up. Marquez is well established at contacting on-line dating services. He thinks he's quite the ladies man. There's no telling what nasty things this guy has done in the NSSB.
February 12, 2013 at 7:47 PM
I'm barfing in the sink now, thank you very much.
February 12, 2013 at 5:56 PM
He's gonna be teaching the class wearing his leather chaps (that's all) and instructions on using bondage handcuffs. Too much information!!
ROTFL! Yes! Yes! Yes !!!! Thank you, 5:56 pm.
And as others have observed, get ready for another heavy dose of sexual harassment training for the rest of us peons. Heck, next time we'll probably have to take a whole day of training because of the screw-ups of LANS executives!
February 12, 2013 at 5:50 PM
Apparently NNSA is providing matching funds to keep this bar open cause the LANS Executives that patronage the joint are piss-poor "tippers", so to speak.
By the way, this lady, it seems, had some integrity. One wonders, however, how many women in the LANL management structure would be willing to sell themselves for a management promotion.
Like other sex addicts, that makeup led him to protect and promote incompetents who were part of his sexual fantasies, while throwing other innocent workers under the bus, even in sexual harassment cases. Ironic and Sad.
Keep in mind, however, that the same makeup gave him some outstanding leadership qualities. Coupled with an articulate common touch, he could be decisive in management of people and resources, as well as an unusually inspiring leader. Take the good with the bad. Still, it's sad, and ironic.......
February 16, 2013 at 9:32 AM
Marquez aside, who else are you refering to??