Accusations Against Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson Back In Spotlight On HBO's Real Sports
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — New details of sexual assault allegations Sacramento Mayor and basketball hall of fame finalist Kevin Johnson were thrown into the spotlight in a segment on HBO's Real Sports.
In the interview, Mandi Koba revisited what she said happened in 1996 in Phoenix. She alleges over the course of months it went from Johnson taking the then-16-year-old to bookstores and cafes, to undressing her while undressing himself. She says he took her into his shower and rubbed soap all over her body, then made her promise not to tell a soul.
Her purpose for speaking out now, she said, was to make sure nobody else was put in a similar position.
"I just wanted other girls to be protected," she said.
Real Sports also spoke with the former head of St. Hope Charter School, Kim Curry-Evans, who said the rumors of what happened gave her pause, but in the end, Johson's reputation won her over.
Years later, she said she came to regret that decision.
"We should have been there for them, but we were not," she said.
She had strong words for the mayor's alleged conduct.
"Shame on you, Kevin. This is not a f------ fist on the chin. This is you not owning up to who you really are, and being honest with yourself or with those young ladies," she said.
Two former St. Hope Charter School students shared an experience of Johnson coming to their apartment and making a beeline for a bedroom, saying after his advances were rebuffed, Johnson fell asleep on their couch. One described a feeling of indebtedness to Johnson where she felt she couldn't report previous allegations because nobody would believe her, and it would endanger her scholarship and future.
Johnson did not comment on camera, reiterating that no charges had been filed in any of the incidents after thorough investigations, and he was working to not put himself in compromising situations.
Johnson decided not to run for a third-term as Sacramento's mayor in October shortly after the 1996 Phoenix accusations gained traction after Koba came forward to Deadspin. However, Johnson said his decision was not based on that, and that he was not resigning.
Johnson is a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The new hall-of-famers will be announced before the NCAA Men's Championship game on April 4.
The interview will be available on-demand on HBO Go and HBO Now starting at 9 a.m. on Friday.
Kevin Johnson's press secretary Ben Sosenko issued a statement on behalf of Johnson saying the issues have been addressed previously, and leaned on the mayor's record of progress in the City of Sacramento.
