The son of state Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada has announced that he will step down from his new six-figure Senate job after attracting accusations of nepotism.

Critics of Espada Sr. claim the $120,000 job that was offered to his son was payback for the senator's decision to return into the Democratic fold after crossing party lines, ending the stalemate in the state Senate.

Sen. Espada initially said his son had earned the lucrative job on his own. However, in a statement released Thursday, the senator agreed with his son's decision to resign.