Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to face sex-crime related charges in Albany Criminal Court, New York State Courts official Lucian Chalfen said Thursday.
A misdemeanor sex crimes complaint was filed against the former governor, Chalfen said. The complaint comes two months after Cuomo resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment.
The ex-governor is accused of forcibly touching an unidentified woman, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint alleges Cuomo forcibly placed his hand under the woman’s blouse “for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires.” The incident allegedly took place on the second floor of the governor’s mansion in Albany in December of 2020, according to the complaint.
The Albany County district attorney’s office and Albany County Sheriff did not immediately return messages but the Times Union, of Albany, quoted unnamed officials as saying the complaint had been issued “prematurely.”
“‘Accidentally’ filing a criminal charge without notification and consent of the prosecuting body doesn’t pass the laugh test and this process reeks of Albany politics and perhaps worse,” Cuomo’s spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. “The truth about what happened with this cowboy sheriff will come out.”
After an investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office determined Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women — in and out of state government — the governor was initially defiant. He rejected calls to resign before stepping down so that the government could focus on COVID-19 pandemic recovery without the distraction of a lengthy impeachment trial.
“From the moment my office received the referral to investigate allegations that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, we proceeded without fear or favor,” James said Thursday. “The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report.”
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple and county investigators have been looking into accusations against Cuomo since August, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. The probe revealed “enough probable cause” to present evidence to court.
In a statement, Cuomo’s personal attorney — Rita Galvin — called Apple’s motives in the case “improper.”
“Governor Cuomo has never assaulted anyone,” Galvin said. “This is not professional law enforcement; this is politics.”
She also accused Apple of pronouncing Cuomo guilty even before doing an investigation.
Albany City Court issued a criminal summons for Cuomo to appear in court on Nov. 17.
