Ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo Charged With Sex Crime Over Alleged Groping Of Former Aide
No one should be above the law.
Ron Adar / Shutterstock New York’s former governor Andrew Cuomo has been charged with a misdemeanor sex-crime complaint in Albany City Court.
The misdemeanor act of forcible touching allegedly took place at the governor's mansion last year and echoes an incident included in a scathing attorney general investigation released earlier this year.
The governor resigned in August after a 165-page report detailed a disturbing culture of fear, intimidation and sexual harrasment in Cuomo’s office that enabled “harassment to occur and created a hostile work environment.”
Will Cuomo be arrested over the sexual harassment allegations?
Reports suggest Cuomo could be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor over the complaint.
Cuomo has reportedly been the subject of a criminal investigation in several counties since the report was released.
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In March, Albany Police Department officials said that they had been notified by New York State Police and the governor’s office about an incident that took place at his mansion.
Details of the incident were not confirmed by the police but they did confirm that an encounter occurred between Cuomo and a female aide that “may have risen “to the level of a crime.”
At the time, police had not yet received a formal complaint from the woman and added that this did not mean a criminal investigation had or would be opened.
Andrew Cuomo is accused of groping a colleague.
The alleged incident occured on December 7 2020, according to the complaint filed this week.
"At the aforesaid date time and location the defendant Andrew M. Cuomo did intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim [redacted] and into her intimate body part," the complaint reads.
"Specifically, the victims (sic) left breast for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires, all contrary to the provisions of the statute in such case made and provided,."
The charges may finally bring justice after the months-long probe in which Cuomo seemed doomed from the outset.
The word “unlawful” appeared in the attorney general’s investigation several times but the report notes that a decision has not been reached about "whether the conduct amounts to or should be the subject of criminal prosecution."
Now, it appears that decision has been made.
An investigation found Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed several women.
According to the attorney general's report earlier this year, “Governor sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and non consensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature.”
The report describes “groping,” “kissing” and several other unwanted advances made by Cuomo.
The findings are consistent with allegations that have emerged about Cuomo over the course of the past year from women who once worked in his administration.
In February, Lindsey Boylan was the first of Cuomo’s alleged victims to come forward with accusations that the governor had once asked her to play “strip poker” and kissed her on the lips without her consent.
Days later, Cuomo’s former assistant, Charlotte Bennett, claimed the 63-year-old had made several inappropriate comments including questioning her about sleeping with older men.
In March, an unnamed aide added to the accusations with a claim that Cuomo had once reached under her blouse and groped her chest while they were alone in his Albany mansion.
The report also states that Cuomo retaliated against at least one of the women for going public with her claims.
According to other reports, Cuomo was questioned for 11 hours under oath in relation to the allegations in the investigation.
Cuomo has denied the allegations detailed in the investigation saying, “that is just not who I am.” He also added that an independent report will clear his name.
However, the findings of the probe did ultimately lead the governor to resign and these recent charges may be the closing chapter in his disgraced political career.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.