Oil, gas tycoon, 84, arrested in sex case
The Denver Post
An 84-year-old Denver oil and gas tycoon has been arrested on suspicion of unlawful sexual contact after a woman working for him accused him of grabbing her breast and kissing her, authorities and court records say.
Jack Jakob Grynberg was taken into custody Thursday on the Class 4 felony and has since been released on $50,000 bail, according to Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver district attorney’s office. Prosecutors say formal charges are expected to be filed Tuesday.
Grynberg is known for making a fortune off suing other energy companies. He has filed civil action against scores of companies, accusing them of defrauding the federal government out of major sums in mineral royalties.
An arrest affidavit for Grynberg says his alleged victim was hired as a clerical assistant at Grynberg Petroleum in Denver, but that when she arrived at the company she was told to clean Grynberg’s office.
According to the affidavit, Grynberg then asked the woman to come to his home with him to clean his library. While she was at the home, the woman told investigators Grynberg then took her to lunch and upon leaving the restaurant he brushed or touched her buttocks.
“Upon arrival back at Grynberg Petroleum the defendant parked his vehicle in the underground parking area and then told the victim to follow him,” according to the affidavit. “The defendant led the victim down a hallway area and the defendant entered a room keeping the lights (off ).”
The affidavit says Grynberg asked the woman to come into the room — which was marked by a “Men’s Locker Room” sign — and when she refused he grabbed her arm and pulled her in.
“He then placed his hands inside the victim’s shirt and bra and grabbed the victim’s breast,” the affidavit says. “The defendant also kissed the victim’s neck area and asked the victim if he could kiss her breast.” According to the court records, the woman told Grynberg to stop and pushed him away.
The woman told investigators Grynberg later contacted her again and asked her to pick fruit at his home. When she refused, the affidavit says, Grynberg told her he no longer had work for her.
According to police, the woman told authorities that an employee at Grynberg Petroleum’s payroll department asked her not to call police or press charges because “everyone would be out of a job.” The alleged encounter happened on or about the last week of August, the affidavit said.
Harvey Steinberg, Grynberg’s attorney, declined to comment on the allegations noting that his client has not been formally charged. “We’ll see what happens.”
According to Bloomberg, Grynberg was born in 1932 in Poland and was a child when the Germans invaded. He joined the resistance and at age 12, helped to fight the Nazis. After World War II, he immigrated to the U.S., where he studied at the Colorado School of Mines.