A New York state senator denied allegations of child molestation and drug trafficking made by his imprisoned brother.

Democrat Sen. Luis Sepulveda, 55, represents the Bronx in the state legislature. Before the 2020 session opened, Sepulveda’s brother, Jose Elias Sepulveda, sent a 13-page letter to state lawmakers claiming that the senator committed multiple crimes from abusing children to smuggling drugs, according to the New York Times.

"Let me make it clear that these allegations are unequivocally false," Senator Sepulveda said in a Thursday statement. "Unfortunately, my brother is currently in a difficult place in his life. But despite his situation, he still enjoys the love and support of my family and I."

His brother's accusations came with signed affidavits from other family members attesting to the charges in the letter. Sepulveda expanded on his statement in an interview with the New York Times, calling his brother an extortionist.

"All I would say is that I will never give in to extortionists, no matter if they are related to me by blood or not," he said. "This is clearly an attempt to extort, and it’s unfortunate that someone put that out there without speaking to us first, but I have to deal with the consequences."

Jose Elias Sepulveda, 64, was sentenced to life in prison in 1998 after he was caught attempting to traffic thousands of kilograms of marijuana, cocaine, and hashish oil throughout the United States. In 2017, his father supposedly signed an affidavit admitting to neglecting Jose Elias Sepulveda and coercing him into running a drug business.

Gloria Reyes, who dated Jose Elias, said that the Sepulveda brothers’ father has been senile and bedridden for years and could not have knowingly signed the affidavit. She also said that Jose Elias Sepulveda had coerced or conned other family members into signing fake affidavits.

Reyes said that Sepulveda has held a grudge against his brother, believing that as a senator, he has the power to pardon him and release him from prison.