MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Robert Lipscomb, who heads the City of Memphis Housing and Community Development as well as the Memphis Housing Authority, told WREG-TV he does know the man accusing him of sexual impropriety.
He said the man has been harassing him since 2008.
Lipscomb cracked his door and spoke with our April Thompson Monday morning.
Lipscomb has been relieved of duty without pay pending an investigation into potential criminal sexual misconduct.
He told April Thompson he will temporarily step down from his position as Director of the Memphis Housing Authority.
Mayor A C Wharton said he sent Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong and two detectives to Seattle to speak with the 26-year-old man.
The complaint alleges the unidentified man has sexual encounters with Lipscomb starting when he was 16 years old.
At a Monday morning news conference, Mayor Wharton said his office is taking the allegations seriously, which is why Armstrong was sent.
“To ensure that we leave no stone unturned, in addition to referring this matter to the District Attorney General’s Office, we will also seek legal counsel as to if any other state or federal agencies should be involved in this investigation.”
When we spoke with Lipscomb he would not go into detail, other than to say he has been harassed by his accuser for years.
In 2004, an employee at the Memphis Housing Authority filed a complaint against Lipscomb claiming Lipscomb sexually harassed him and made an unwelcome sexual advance in 2002.
The man claimed he was discriminated against following that incident.
The case was later dismissed.
Lipscomb has headed the Housing and Community Development Division since 1999 and earns $124,637 per year.
He also heads up the Memphis Housing Authority where he earns $135,959 per year.
