Content warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault and may be distressing for some readers. Discretion is advised.
Rikki Shaw, formerly known as “Jane Doe,” recently went public with details of a sexual assault committed against her in 2003 by Michael Boxley, a top aide to then-New York (NY) State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
She filed a civil lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act against the New York State Assembly, alleging the Assembly enabled a “vulture-like” predatory culture toward women through mandatory after-hours events where grooming and assaults occurred.
Shaw was the legislative director for the Assembly Labor Committee when she accused Boxley of sexually assaulting her.
She remained publicly unnamed when the top NY aide pleaded guilty in December 2003 to one misdemeanor count of sexual misconduct in connection with her case. Boxley was sentenced to six years’ probation and a $1,000 fine.
He was also required to register as a sex offender.
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Shaw also filed an affidavit in a civil lawsuit brought against the state by former Assembly staffer Elizabeth Crothers, who accused Boxley of sexually assaulting her prior to Shaw’s case.
In an affidavit obtained by the New York Post, Shaw wrote, ”
I was [assaulted] by Michael Boxley in my own apartment.”
She wrote in the affidavit that she went to the hospital that night and was “terrified” to contact the NY police after learning how Assembly officials had smeared Crothers for accusing Boxley of assaulting her. Shaw wrote in the affidavit, “I had seen what happened to Elizabeth Crothers … and I did not want to see the same thing happen to me.” She also said the statehouse promoted a “vulture-like culture” that encouraged powerful men to assault young women.
Shaw told the New York Post, “New York State continues to be haunted by these cases because there was, and still is, no meaningful offender accountability when sexual assaults are disclosed.” She added, “When Elizabeth reached out a decade ago to ask if I wanted to testify in the Working Group’s hearings, I said no, all I wanted was to rock my babies and tend my garden in anonymity.”
Shaw said she changed her mind about coming forward publicly after Crothers filed a civil suit in 2023.
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The Adult Survivors Act gave victims a one-year look-back window to file lawsuits in cases where the statute of limitations had expired. Shaw added, “More than 20 years after I was sexually assaulted, Albany is still protecting the politically connected instead of holding predators accountable.”
“If I stayed quiet, there would be more forced encounters. That’s about power and control,” she added.
During his sworn deposition in the Crothers case, Boxley invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 40 times.
When questioned by Crothers’ attorney Aaron Stark, Boxley said, “I deny any wrongdoing involving the claimant Ms. Crothers, and otherwise, upon the advice of counsel, I respectfully invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and respectfully decline to answer your question.”
