Attorney General Maura Healey and former Rep. Joe Kennedy III have rescinded their endorsements of Valentino “Tino” Capobianco, a candidate for state representative in the 19th Suffolk District to succeed former Speaker Robert DeLeo, following allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment.
"Since her endorsement on Friday, Maura has been made aware of several allegations of inappropriate and troubling behavior by Tino,” Healey spokesperson Corey Welford said in a statement to GBH News on Tuesday. “Based on the nature of those allegations, she is withdrawing her endorsement in this race."
Both campaigns said they had no prior knowledge of the allegations at the time of their endorsements.
“These allegations are serious, credible and deeply troubling,” Kennedy spokesperson Emily Kaufman wrote in a statement to GBH News on Tuesday. “After being made aware of them, Joe notified the campaign this morning that he is withdrawing his endorsement."
In a statement released after this story was first published, Capobianco denied the allegations against him.
"I know that politics can be a blood sport but I remain incredulous of the false and outrageous allegations that have suddenly been dropped on me by a rival campaign that is struggling," he wrote. "In the last 6 hours, two completely untrue and ridiculous accusations have been made about me in high school. I would have been 15 or 16 at the time, and these things simply never happened."
A spokesman for Healey confirmed that multiple women sent her emails — independently obtained by GBH News — following her endorsement of Capobianco on Friday asking her to reconsider the endorsement. One woman who wrote to the attorney general said, “Tino has an unfortunate history of making women feel uncomfortable and unsafe. There are a multitude of women, mostly young women in our community that have personally experienced inappropriate behavior from Tino, myself included.” GBH News obtained a copy of the email and is not revealing the woman’s identity to protect her privacy.
The alleged incidents, which occurred between 2006 and 2016, include aggressively pursuing younger women, attempting sexual acts with non-consenting inebriated women, repeatedly asking to perform sexual acts in exchange for money after being told to stop, and unwanted and repeated sexual advances.
In his statement, Capobianco admitted some of his behavior was "juvenile."
"It is deeply personally embarrassing to see some dumb college behavior also be raised – I will own my own mistakes. It was not predatory. I was overly enthusiastic texting someone I had a crush on. That is the juvenile behavior of a nerdy kid. In hindsight as an adult, I know that," he wrote. "I’d like to think that despite any personal embarrassment this story brings to me, the people of this district who know me will decide that I can still do more for their families and our community over the next two years than can any of the other candidates running. If that is the case, I’d be honored and humbled to become their voice and their vote on Beacon Hill."
State Sen. Paul Feeney on Tuesday also withdrew his endorsement of Capobianco.
"I have very recently been made aware of serious and deeply concerning allegations against candidate for State Representative Tino Capobianco, a former staff member in my office," Feeney said in a statement after this story was first published. "Every allegation needs to be taken seriously, and the people who have bravely come forward need to be treated with the utmost respect and dignity. They should be listened to and heard. This afternoon, I notified the campaign that I have withdrawn my previous endorsement of Capobianco’s candidacy."
Another woman who wrote to Healey said Capobianco aggressively pursued her, “despite my repeated denials.” At a high school party in 2007, Capobianco, a senior at the time, brought the woman to a nearby park and attempted to make sexual advances towards her, despite her inebriated state. “The only reason he was unsuccessful was that a friend of mine recognized I was missing and put the pieces together,” she said. “She arrived just in time and removed me from the situation.”
A young man who tells GBH News he was “one of three or four boys in my high school that were rumored to be gay or bisexual” began to receive Facebook messages in 2006 from Capobianco asking if Capobianco could perform oral sex on the man in exchange for concert tickets. “He kept asking, so he could see if he liked it,” the man said. “He said he wouldn't tell anyone and asked if I would not tell anyone.”
At first, the man, who at the time was not public about his identity as a gay man, thought Capobianco was playing a joke on him. But the messages continued — long after the man asked Capobianco to stop asking.
“It was persistent and consistent. Just knowing that he was expecting this from me just because there were rumors that I was gay, it’s just really gross,” the man said in an interview. “At the time, you don’t think of bringing it to a counselor or something — this was way before Me Too, or even boys being taken seriously about other boys.”
The man’s sister and two other friends confirmed to GBH News that they had been made aware of the situation at the time. One of the friends said in an interview that it didn’t strike her as particularly egregious, though in retrospect something should have been done. “I don’t know why it didn’t seem like a bigger deal at the time. I think it just kind of rolled into the ‘drunk uncle Tino’ vibes we got from him,” she said. “That’s the type of creepy we thought he was — inappropriate, makes you uncomfortable, you just need to continuously tell him to leave you alone.”
One of the women who sent a letter to Healey said she attended a party in 2010 at Capobianco’s home when he was a student at Suffolk University. He was clad “only in a bathrobe” and “continuously hugged female attendees despite their recoils,” she wrote.
In messages obtained by GBH News, Capobianco repeatedly asked one woman to go on dates over a years-long period, even after being asked to stop. The woman said Capobianco attempted to follow her home from a party. Scared and intoxicated, she hid in a bush and called her mother to come and take her home.
“I do not blame you for your lack of knowledge on this topic,” the woman wrote to Healey, "but I challenge you to examine how terrifying it is to come forward and tell your story against someone like Valentino Capobianco, a man with power and authority. In a world where women are shamed for instances like these, I hope you can see why this isn’t public knowledge, and it is hard and scary to try to get the word out.”
Capobianco has received endorsements from others, including Sheriff Steve Tompkins, five Massachusetts labor unions and 67 elected officials, including community leaders and activists from Revere, Winthrop and around the Commonwealth. Sheriff Steve Tompkins withdrew his support for Capobianco Tuesday afternoon after this story was published.
"This afternoon I was made aware of several troubling, allegations concerning Tino Capobianco’s past conduct," Tompkins said in a statement to GBH News. "In light of these allegations, I will immediately be withdrawing my endorsement of Tino’s candidacy for state representative."
Capobianco is an active member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee and worked as chief of staff for Feeney. He previously served as communications director for Feeney, a state house aide for DeLeo and the community affairs deputy director for the Middlesex Sheriff’s office. The 32-year-old Winthrop resident spent two years as the Winthrop School Committee Chair.
The primary election to succeed DeLeo will take place on March 2. Three other Democratic candidates are running against Capobianco: Richard Fucillo, Juan Pablo Jaramillo, Jeffrey Turco and Alicia DelVento.
Read Valentino Capobianco’s statement in full:
"I am running for State Representative for the same reason I ran for the Democratic State Committee and Winthrop School Committee — to do as much good as I can for as many people as I could. The large number of people who have chosen to honor me with their support in this contest demonstrates that while not perfect, I clearly have accomplished at least some of that goal, and for that, I am genuinely proud.
I know that politics can be a blood sport but I remain incredulous of the false and outrageous allegations that have suddenly been dropped on me by a rival campaign that is struggling. In the last 6 hours, two completely untrue and ridiculous accusations have been made about me in high school. I would have been 15 or 16 at the time, and these things simply never happened.
It is deeply personally embarrassing to see some dumb college behavior also be raised – I will own my own mistakes. It was not predatory. I was overly enthusiastic texting someone I had a crush on. That is the juvenile behavior of a nerdy kid. In hindsight as an adult, I know that.
I’d like to think that despite any personal embarrassment this story brings to me, the people of this district who know me will decide that I can still do more for their families and our community over the next two years than can any of the other candidates running. If that is the case, I’d be honored and humbled to become their voice and their vote on Beacon Hill."
Update: This story was updated after being published online to include a statement from Valentino Capobianco, State Sen. Paul Feeney and Sheriff Steve Tompkins and other information.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified Capobianco as State Senator Paul Feeney's chief of staff. Capobianco previously served in that role, but stepped down to run for office.
