AC mayor wants charges in firehouse sex

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - September 17, 2009 Mayor Lorenzo Langford said Thursday he has asked New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram to determine whether at least four of the firefighters should be prosecuted for official misconduct.

"If the allegations are true, I want to terminate immediately, if not sooner, all persons involved," he said.

Four firefighters have been suspended, including the one alleged to have engaged in sexual contact with the girls. That firefighter, Richard Williams, denies the allegations and says the girls are just seeking money.

Last week, Atlantic County prosecutors declined to file charges stemming from the May 16 incident because the girls were over 16, the age of consent. Langford's request for the attorney general's office to intervene was made the next day, Sept. 10.

Milgram's office did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

County prosecutor Theodore Housel also ruled out a prosecution for official misconduct, determining that the firefighters' actions did not involve their jobs as firefighters.

But City Solicitor Robert Tarver said that by giving the girls official department-issued firefighting gear and asking them to pose for pictures in it, the firefighters engaged in official misconduct.

Two girls have filed a lawsuit against Williams, who they claim lured them into the firehouse with the promise of pizza.

Their lawsuit alleges the firefighter persuaded one girl to expose her breasts and touch his genitals, among other conduct.

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