Disgraced Former New York Lawmaker Vito Lopez Dead at 74

Disgraced former New York state assemblyman Vito Lopez has died.

Lopez's lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, says Lopez died Monday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering hospital where he was being treated for cancer.

Lopez resigned from the State Assembly in 2013 over allegations he sexually harassed young women on his staff. He had served in the Assembly for 30 years and was the influential chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party organization.

Lopez professed his innocence, but resigned rather than face an expulsion proceeding.

Lefcourt said Lopez was a trained social worker who "never forgot his roots." He said Lopez fought for working people and seniors in his district.