Florida House Rep. Fabian Basabe. (Photo from fabianbasabe.com)
Fabian Basabe, freshman Florida House of Representatives member and former reality TV show star, has been accused of sexual harassment by two former employees, as reported by the Miami Herald.
The accusations, made by former legislative intern Jacob Cutbirth and former aide Nicolas Frevola, include the assertion that Basabe nonconsensually slapped the aide’s butt while attending an elementary school career day, as well as groping and making advances on a Florida State University graduate student before eventually hiring Cutbirth as an intern.
Cutbirth claims that he met Basabe and Frevola at a Tallahassee bar in December and was later asked to drive the intoxicated representative back to his hotel. Cutbirth allegedly warded off advances from Basabe throughout the night, including the 45-year-old man’s attempts to grope, touch and kiss the 24-year-old.
Cutbirth was offered an unpaid internship with Basabe a few weeks later, which he accepted, as he said he considered the position an apology.
The alleged advances did not stop once Cutbirth worked for Basabe, however. Cutbirth claims that Basabe often bid the intern to “flirt with him” in the office and even proposed that Cutbirth end his engagement to “explore his sexuality by having sex with men.”
Frevola, another plaintiff in the lawsuit, claims that Basabe slapped the aide in the face at an event in January, then told him to stand in a corner.
House Speaker Paul Renner hired a law firm to investigate this allegation and it found that although there was “physical contact” between Basabe and Frevola, but that no witnesses could corroborate the slap, so it was “inconclusive” whether or not it had occurred.
Frevola and Cutbirth also both signed non-disclosure agreements upon working for Basabe, which they believed to be required for their employment.
Basabe has denied any such conduct with Frevola and Cutbirth, calling the accusations “ridiculous” in a June 29 interview with CBS News Miami.
This is not the first time Basabe has been in the spotlight for alleged wrongdoing. According to The New Republic, Basabe was arrested in New York for drunk driving in 2006 and sued a New York nightclub for $2 million after calling the doorman a “sand negro” because he did not allow Basabe and his friends into the club.
Basabe also reportedly called a Black Miami publicist the n-word at a party at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach.
Basabe, a supporter of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill, is now facing a “thorough” investigation from an unspecified law firm into the sexual harassment claims. “The Florida House has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment,” a statement from the firm said.
