Cuomo Aide Who Claimed NY Governor Groped Her Breast Files Criminal Complaint in Albany
© AP Photo / Mary Altaffer
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New York Attorney General Letitia James' independent probe on sexual misconduct allegations leveled against NY Governor Andrew Cuomo concluded earlier this week, reporting numerous instances in which the 63-year-old made unwanted sexual advances toward women, including staffers. Despite the determination, the NY AG did not issue criminal charges.
The Albany County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Friday that a female aide who accused Cuomo of groping her breast has officially filed a criminal complaint with authorities in New York's Albany County.
Speaking to the New York Post, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple asserted the New York Governor could actually be arrested if the woman's allegations are substantiated by the jurisdiction's district attorney's office.
"The end result could either be it sounds substantiated and an arrest is made and it would be up to the DA to prosecute the arrest," Apple said. "Just because of who it is we are not going to rush it or delay it."
The Thursday filing comes as the first known criminal complaint in which a woman accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct.
Per the 168-page NY AG report, the aide - identified as "Executive Assistant #1" - testified to independent investigators Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark that Cuomo engaged in a "pattern of inappropriate conduct" with her since late 2019. The New York Governor's alleged misconduct included "close and intimate hugs," butt-grabbing and kisses on the cheek - with at least one of them being on the lips.
Cuomo's misconduct rose to a new level in November 2020, when he reportedly "reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast" while hugging her at the Executive Mansion. The aide told investigators that she responded by pulling away from Cuomo, calling him "crazy."
"And I remember thinking to myself who—I knew what just went on, I knew and he knew too that was wrong. And that I in no way, shape or form invited that, nor did I ask for it. I didn’t want it," she testified. "I feel like I was being taken advantage of."
The New York Governor claims that it was the aide, not him, who initiated the "tight hugs," and he just went along with the interaction because he did not "want to make anyone feel awkward about anything." He denied groping the aide's breast.
Though the aide planned to keep silent about the groping incident and take the story "to the grave," she made her colleagues aware of their interaction after the New York Governor claimed that he had "never touched anyone inappropriately." Despite calls for his resignation from state-level Democratic colleagues and even US President Joe Biden, Cuomo has maintained that he has done nothing criminal.
An office on Clinton Avenue for Albany County District Attorney David Soares in the Arbor Hill neighborhood of Albany, New York, captured Sept. 27, 2020
"We take every complaint seriously," said Albany County Undersheriff William Rice, as reported by the Associated Press.
The DA's office in Albany County is one of several New York jurisdictions to formally announce it is seeking evidence from both the NY AG and Cuomo's accusers in order to determine whether the 63-year-old's alleged conduct amounts to criminal charges.
Additionally, members of the New York State Assembly plan to have discussions next week on whether to begin impeachment proceedings. A majority of Assembly lawmakers have expressed support for authorizing an impeachment trial if Cuomo refuses to resign.
