Pima County Treasurer Brian Johnson abruptly announced his resignation in mid‑June after at least one employee in the Treasurer’s Office reported a pattern of sexual misconduct that county human resources staff documented in internal emails. Johnson, who said he and his girlfriend had a "relationship" with the staffer, disputed many elements of the account and accused county officials of conspiring to push him from office. County Administrator Jan Lesher and Assessor Suzanne Droubie have rejected the allegation of a conspiracy; Lesher told him it would likely be in his "best interest" to resign, and Johnson says he was told to "resign now."
Portrait of a man in a dress shirt and tie used with an article about sexual‑harassment claims and the recent resignation of the Pima County treasurer.
A tranche of internal human resources emails provided to county records requesters contains the staffer’s narrative of encounters stretching over months. In those summaries, the worker said Johnson and his girlfriend invited her into a sexual relationship and to attend sexual gatherings, and that Johnson repeatedly sent links to sexually explicit writing, including his own work. The staffer also reported what she perceived as overt sexual behavior in the workplace, describing repeated, uncomfortable gestures by Johnson, and telling HR that she had seen "wet spots" on his pants she associated with urine or premature ejaculation.
The emails describe a sequence of social overtures and workplace interactions the employee characterized as intended to further a sexual relationship. She told HR Johnson "frequently invited her to his home, hot tub gatherings, dinners, concerts, and social activities" and that texts and emails documenting some of those invitations exist. The staffer said she repeatedly declined the invitations and informed both Johnson and his girlfriend that she was not interested, but that Johnson continued to press invitations "approximately two to three times per week," according to the HR writeups. One of the communications the emails cite included a nude photograph Johnson allegedly texted to the employee showing himself and two others in a hot tub.
The complaint also details items given to staff and interns. Johnson reportedly displayed paintings of nude women in his county office and gave the staffer a painting depicting a nude woman as a Christmas gift. Human resources records further state that Johnson handed out copies of his self‑published books, which include sexual scenes, to teenage interns — providing copies to a 15‑year‑old and a 17‑year‑old as well as an 18‑year‑old — and that staff later removed a copy from the youngest intern and substituted a comic book. The records cite a gift certificate valued at $350 to Casino Del Sol for a couples massage that Johnson gave to the staffer, which she believed was intended for use by her and Johnson together.
One incident in the HR materials centers on a May 27 encounter the staffer described in explicit terms: she says Johnson hugged her, blocked her attempt to pull away, tried to kiss her mouth, kissed her cheek when she turned her head, and then licked her cheek. The complainant immediately told a colleague — the HR report redacts the employee’s name — and is quoted as saying, "He fucking licked my face." The HR timeline indicates the staffer reported her concerns to human resources on June 8, saying she was frightened of what Johnson might do because of his position and that she could not afford to lose her job.
Johnson, 70, did not dispute the existence of contact between himself, his girlfriend and the employee when interviewed, but contested the characterization of those interactions. He described the situation as a "consensual, voluntary" relationship that the employee had, he said, shown interest in initiating, including attending a date before other encounters. He offered a different account of the May 27 episode, saying he had just undergone cataract surgery that day and that the staffer had driven him to and from the doctor; Johnson said she initiated the hug and kiss when they arrived at his house. He denied masturbating in the office and called reports that he adjusted himself in front of employees "pretty crazy," and he rejected the suggestion that "wet spots" on his pants were premature ejaculations, saying at his age "that's pretty hard."
Other details in the HR material and from employees who later cleared Johnson’s office after his resignation paint a fuller picture of concerns raised by staff. The HR emails say Johnson sent sexually suggestive emails and links that included discussions of sexual relationships among friends over age 40. Co‑workers reported he sometimes touched himself when talking to staff, including putting his hands into his pockets and making adjustments. Employees who packed up his office after he left reported finding packets of blue sildenafil pills in his desk, some opened. A review of the treasurer’s work computer browser history showed routine news and listicle browsing and repeated views of records for a handful of properties, and Johnson acknowledged he had painted nude artworks himself and displayed those pieces in his office, calling them "artistic" rather than pornographic.
County administrative officials also flagged distribution of Johnson’s self‑published novel. Deputy County Administrator Chad Kasmar reviewed an AI summary of the book and noted it contains a sexual storyline involving an older man and two young women; Kasmar wrote that providing the book to two young women "could be interpreted as suggestive" and "paints (a) picture of potential grooming behavior," though he added it was not criminal. Johnson said he had given copies of the novel to interns as a "little going‑away gift." He was elected to the treasurer’s post in November 2024 and was sworn into office in January 2025.
Johnson announced on Friday, June 12 that he would step down effective Monday, June 15, framing his departure in a public statement as the result of "recent urgent changes in my personal responsibilities" that made it impossible for him to perform the job at the level he believed citizens deserved. Behind the public explanation, internal discussions and the HR materials show the complaints and subsequent meetings with county leadership accelerated his departure. Johnson says he met with County Administrator Lesher on June 10 and was told to "resign now." Lesher and Assessor Droubie have denied Johnson’s assertion that they conspired to oust him. The county’s human resources files reflect the staffer’s assertions and the timeline of events she reported, while many other records related to the matter remain subject to public‑records requests and have not been released in full.
KOLD reported that HR's sexual harassment probe remained active with multiple witnesses and was still collecting evidence when Johnson resigned; an internal email the day before his announcement stated he was "not resigning," yet he submitted his letter within 24 hours. The Pima County Board of Supervisors intends to appoint a Democrat to complete his term through December 2028 at a July 14 meeting.
Pima County formally accepted Johnson’s resignation at a June 23 meeting and set a fast timetable to fill the vacancy — applicants were given until 5 p.m. on July 2 to submit materials and the League of Women Voters of Southern Arizona is scheduled to hold a virtual public forum for candidates the week of July 6–10 ahead of the Board’s planned July 14 appointment.
Jake Martin, the chief deputy treasurer who had worked closely with Johnson and previously ran a sexual‑assault‑awareness organization, told reporters the primary complainant first raised concerns with him in January and said Johnson was not aware of the active HR investigation until a few days before his resignation; Martin has applied to be appointed treasurer and is overseeing day‑to‑day operations in the interim.
County officials say a previously disputed set of property tax corrections that would result in roughly $5.8–$6 million in refunds to about 630 property owners will now be processed after Johnson’s departure; the acting treasurer’s office said it does not have the authority to continue holding or litigating those Notices of Proposed Correction and the county plans to distribute the refunds as soon as legally possible.