Former Citigroup managing director sues, alleges HR forced her out after harassment by wealth chief
Julia Carreon alleges Citi’s HR pushed her out after repeated sexual harassment by wealth chief Andy Sieg and conducted a one-sided investigation that targeted her.
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By Torontoer Staff
A former Citigroup managing director has filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually harassed by a senior executive and that the bank’s human resources department forced her out after conducting a biased investigation. The complaint names Andy Sieg, who leads Citi’s wealth business, and accuses Citi of a discriminatory workplace culture.
Julia Carreon, Citi Wealth’s former global head of platform and experiences, left the bank in August 2024. Her complaint, filed Monday, says the bank investigated her conduct while protecting Sieg, and that HR’s handling of the matter damaged her reputation and career.
What the lawsuit alleges
The filing accuses Sieg of "unrelenting and egregious sexual harassment, manipulation and grooming," describing repeated calls and texts, including from what the complaint says were burner phones. It alleges he shared confidential information with Carreon and made sexually charged comments during late-night calls.
"He [had been] 'glazing her so hard that it made him feel dirty', or words to that effect,"
lawsuit filing
Carreon also alleges Sieg implied to colleagues that they were in an intimate relationship, and that he used proximity and shared cultural cues, such as a "secret song," to suggest a closeness that was not professional. The complaint says those insinuations harmed her standing at the bank.
Claims about HR and the investigation
The suit portrays Citi’s HR team as one-sided, alleging it conducted a misogynistic investigation that targeted Carreon while excluding Sieg from scrutiny. Carreon says HR questioned her about leaking information to the press, which she says Sieg asked her to do on his behalf.
"In my opinion, Citi's HR doesn't investigate misconduct, they manage outcomes for senior management,"
Julia Carreon, quoted in the Financial Times
The complaint states HR posed questions that reflected predetermined conclusions and subjected Carreon to an internal probe described as outside normal corporate practice. It also alleges a broader cultural problem at Citi, where women who attain senior roles and access to the executive inner circle are presumed to have done so through improper relationships.
Citi's response and earlier review
Citi completed an internal review earlier in 2024 into allegations of bullying against Sieg. The Financial Times reported at the time that some senior women who raised concerns were not interviewed as part of that probe. The bank has publicly backed Sieg.
"This lawsuit has absolutely no merit and we will demonstrate that through the legal process,"
Citi
Sieg is a high-profile executive, recruited from Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch, and is considered one of chief executive Jane Fraser’s prominent hires. The bank says it will defend itself in court and has denied the claims in the filing.
Background and wider implications
Carreon worked nearly two decades at Wells Fargo before joining Citi. In her complaint she describes the HR process as aggressive and unusually intense compared with other corporate investigations she has seen in a 25-year career.
The case raises questions about how large financial institutions investigate misconduct allegations involving senior executives, and how internal processes can affect the careers of the people who raise concerns. It also comes against the backdrop of broader changes at Citi, where leadership has pursued a major restructuring that includes significant job cuts.
- Complaint alleges repeated sexualised communications and disclosure of confidential information by Andy Sieg
- Plaintiff says Citi’s HR conducted a one-sided investigation that targeted her, not Sieg
- Citi completed an earlier probe and has stood by Sieg, calling the lawsuit without merit
Legal proceedings will determine the factual record and whether the bank’s internal processes met standards for impartiality. Both sides are preparing for litigation, and the complaint will bring depositions and document discovery into how Citi handled the matter.
For now, the filing is a formal challenge to Citi’s handling of workplace misconduct at the senior levels, and it highlights the risks institutions face when internal investigations intersect with power dynamics. Citi says it will contest the allegations; Carreon says the suit is an effort to hold the bank accountable.
Citigroupsexual harassmentworkplace culturelawsuitAndy Sieg
