Cuomo ducks 2 improper-kiss raps as W’chester DA opts not to pursue
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not face criminal charges over two incidents in which he allegedly kissed women on the cheek in Westchester, the county’s district attorney said Tuesday.
The Westchester County district attorney, Miriam Rocah, said in a statement that an investigation by her office found “credible evidence” confirming the allegations, but that she would not pursue criminal charges due to statutory legal requirements.
Cuomo, 64, resigned from office in disgrace in August after a state attorney general’s report found he had sexually harassed 11 women. He is due in Albany County Court next month to face a misdemeanor charge of forcible touching.
He has denied accusations of sexual harassment lodged against him, and he has painted the state attorney general’s report as politically motivated.
A spokesman for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, declined to immediately comment on the Westchester County district attorney’s decision.
A state Assembly report published last month said the evidence of Cuomo’s sexual misconduct was “overwhelming.”
Rocah said her office probed an allegation from a female state trooper who was once part of Cuomo’s security detail and who claimed that he asked if he could kiss her at his home in Mount Kisco. When she responded “sure,” he kissed her on the cheeck, according to Rocah’s office.
Another woman said Cuomo (photo) had grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek at an event at White Plains High School, according to the Westchester district attorney’s office.
That woman, Susan Iannucci, made her allegation public in August, bringing the count of Cuomo’s accusers to at least 12.
“He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him and kissed me on the cheek without asking if I was OK with such a personal greeting,” Iannucci, 61, said at the time, according to the Rockland/ Westchester Journal News. “I smiled nervously afterward.”
In her statement, Rocah said evidence indicated both incidents “did occur” but that she “cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York. This conclusion is unrelated to any possible civil liability.”
“We continue to recognize the bravery of the women and witnesses who have cooperated with law enforcement and we remain committed to supporting them and all survivors,” Rocah added in the statement.