MA Senate President's Husband Accused Of Being 'Predator': Report

BEACON HILL, MA — The husband of Senate President Stanley Rosenberg is accused by four men of sexually assaulting and harassing them, according to a bombshell report The Boston Globe published Thursday afternoon. Byron Hefner is accused of grabbing three men by their genitals and kissing another against his will.

The men talked to the Globe on the condition of anonymity. The group included a Beacon Hill aide, a lobbyist, a public policy advocate and a man who worked on Beacon Hill when Hefner allegedly put his hand up his shorts at a fundraiser.

Hefner, 30, married Rosenberg, 68, in September 2016. The two met when Hefner took a summer job in Rosenberg's office before he became Senate president, and Rosenberg has credited Hefner with helping him to live openly as a gay man.

There is no evidence Rosenberg, despite being close by when some of the alleged assaults took place, knew of the incidents, the Globe said.

Rosenberg and Hefner each issued statements denying previous knowledge of the allegations.

Hefner said he is "shocked to learn of these anonymous and hurtful allegations."

"To my knowledge, no one has complained to me or any political or governmental authority about these allegations which are now surfacing years afterward. As one can imagine, it is incredibly difficult to respond to allegations by unnamed and unidentified individuals that involve an extended period of time, particularly in the current environment."

"This is the first I have heard about these claims," Rosenberg said. "Even though, based on what little I have been told, these allegations do not involve members or employees of the Senate and did not occur in the State House, I take them seriously. To the best of my recollection I was not approached by anyone with complaints during or after the alleged incidents made in this article or I would have tried to intervene."

Watch Now: MA Senate President's Husband Accused Of Sexual Assault

>>>Read the full Globe report here

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Photo by Alison Bauter for Patch

Materials from State House News Service was used in this report