Embattled Rep.'s wife files for divorce

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The wife of a Florida U.S. congressman who had admitted to extramarital affairs has filed for divorce, records show.

U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fla., has admitted paying $121,000 to Patricia Allen, a former staffer with whom he was romantically linked, to settle a threatened sexual harassment lawsuit. Now, wife Terry Mahoney has filed divorce papers in North Palm Beach, Fla., saying her marriage is "irretrievably broken," Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers reported Tuesday.

The suit seeks to end the couple's 23-year marriage, with Terry Mahoney saying the congressman sold "jointly owned real property" without her permission, put the money in an account he controlled and "dissipated funds" from the account, the newspapers said.

"I owe my wife and daughter an apology, and I owe all my constituents," Tim Mahoney told Scripps. "What I did is I failed them, I let them down, period. There is no excuse."

Mahoney has said he won't withdraw from his re-election bid or resign from his seat.