Andrew Cuomo
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo has had a criminal complaint filed against him alleging he committed sex crimes.
According to a report by CNN, the complaint alleges that Cuomo “intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part” and that he touched the victim’s left breast “for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires.”
The complaint was signed by Amy Kowalski, an investigator with the Albany Sheriff’s Office, on Monday and was filed Thursday. But in a statement early in the evening, Albany County District Attorney David Soares said its filing of the complaint had caught him off guard. “Like the rest of the public, we were surprised to learn today that a criminal complaint was filed in Albany City Court by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office against Andrew Cuomo,” Soares said. “The Office of Court Administration has since made that filing public. Our office will not be commenting further on this case.”
In a statement, Cuomo lawyer Rita Glavin denied the charges and questioned the integrity of Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. “Governor Cuomo has never assaulted anyone, and Sheriff Apple’s motives here are patently improper. Sheriff Apple didn’t even tell the District Attorney what he was doing.”
The Associated Press reports the office of Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple didn’t directly address that report, but confirmed in a statement that Albany City Court had issued a criminal summons ordering Cuomo to appear at 2:30 p.m. on November 17th
The statement suggested it was court officials, not prosecutors or a law enforcement agency, that made the decision to issue the summons. It said sheriff’s investigators had determined there was “probable cause” to present evidence to the court “for their review to determine the most appropriate legal pathway moving forward on the investigation.”
Cuomo has repeatedly denied the allegations of sexual misconduct against him, allowing that he made mistakes, but always insisting that the more serious accusations were untrue.
State Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement saying, “From the moment my office received the referral to investigate allegations that former Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, we proceeded without fear or favor. The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report.”
The crime of forcible touching is punishable in New York by up to year in jail and up to three years probation, with discretion for the court to impose lesser penalties including no jail time.
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