NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – The former aide who accused Gov. James E. McGreevey of sexual harassment said he told the FBI that the advances took place over a period of more than two years and made his life a “long, continuous nightmare.”

Golan Cipel said he told FBI agents during an interview in Israel that McGreevey resigned because he was worried that word of his actions would be reported.

When he announced on Aug. 12 that he would resign, McGreevey said he was leaving office because he had a consensual extramarital affair with a man and due to the threat of extortion. McGreevey did not name the man, but aides in his administration have identified the person as Cipel, who served briefly as a homeland security adviser for the governor in 2002.

“It is clear that McGreevey did not resign because of his sexual orientation or because of an alleged consensual affair,” Cipel said in a statement released by his Israeli spokesperson and reported in the Star-Ledger of Newark.

“He resigned because he sexually harassed me and the severity of his conduct did not allow him to continue as governor.”

The FBI has refused to comment on the Cipel interview, citing an ongoing investigation into whether McGreevey was the target of an extortion attempt by Cipel and his lawyer. A spokesperson said the FBI’s findings would be referred to the U.S. attorney’s office for consideration.

Cipel said he told the agents that he never tried to extort money from the governor, but eventually initiated legal action that involved negotiations between his lawyer and attorneys for McGreevey.

“Even though I have never threatened the governor, he and his people turned my life into a long, continuous nightmare,” Cipel said. “When I reached a point of complete desperation, I decided to use the legal processes available.”

William E. Lawler, McGreevey’s attorney, said Cipel’s statements were not true. Lawler also conceded that it was possible that Cipel would not be charged after the investigation was complete.

“The facts that we presented, we believe and continue to believe, raise possible issues of extortion,” Lawler said. “But at the same time there are a number of complications to this [case]. I recognize that it’s a complicated case.”

Cipel said he thinks the FBI is convinced that no extortion attempt took place. He said the agents told him he was not a target of the investigation and also questioned him about other matters related to McGreevey.

“I left the meeting with the feeling that the FBI accepted my version of the events and agreed that there was no attempted extortion,” he said.

Cipel went to his parents’ home in Israel soon after McGreevey’s resignation announcement. He said he was not gay and denied he had a consensual affair with McGreevey, but never filed a sexual harassment lawsuit.