Wall Street firm faces lawsuit relating to one of its most senior executives and its HR department
A former senior Citigroup wealth executive is suing the bank in New York, alleging its top wealth manager subjected her to “unrelenting and egregious sexual harassment” and that human resources was “weaponized” to push her out after she raised concerns.
In a complaint filed January 26 in Manhattan federal court, Julia Carreon, formerly global head of platform and experiences at Citi Wealth, alleges Andy Sieg, head of wealth management and one of Citi’s most senior executives, embarked on a “campaign of unrelenting and egregious sexual harassment, manipulation, and grooming” soon after joining the bank in October 2023.
Carreon says Sieg treated her “much differently” from male colleagues, frequently calling and texting her, including at night, and sharing confidential information under the premise that “there was no one else he could talk to.”
She alleges he insisted she sit near him in meetings and insinuated to others that they had an intimate relationship, including by telling two male colleagues they shared a “secret song” by Kings of Leon, which allegedly caused the room to fall silent.
According to the lawsuit, Sieg’s conduct fuelled rumours that reduced Carreon to being perceived as a “sex object” and damaged her credibility inside the bank. The complaint asserts that, rather than investigating Sieg, Citi’s HR team “subjected Carreon — not Sieg — to a misogynistic investigation into their professional relationship” and “weaponized” its processes to force her out, consistent with what it calls a “discriminatory and sexually harassing culture.”
Carreon alleges HR probed false accusations that she was a bully whose rise was due to “special access” to Sieg, and that she was told only she — not Sieg — was under investigation. She ultimately left the bank in mid‑2024.
Citigroup has rejected the allegations: “This lawsuit has absolutely no merit and we will demonstrate that through the legal process,” the bank said in a statement cited by multiple outlets. Sieg is not named as a defendant.
Carreon, who is Latina, is seeking unspecified damages for racial discrimination under US federal law and racial and sexual discrimination under New York state and city law. The complaint situates her experience within what it describes as Citi’s “decades‑long history of bias and harassment against women,” and references earlier internal complaints that Sieg intimidated and sidelined employees.
