Albany sheriff: Cuomo may face misdemeanor in alleged groping
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo could face misdemeanor charges if investigators substantiate a criminal complaint accusing the governor of groping an aide last year, the Albany County sheriff said Saturday.
Sheriff Craig Apple promised a “very comprehensive” investigation in partnership the Albany County district attorney’s office, but said it would be premature to commit to a timeline or say whether Cuomo himself will be questioned.
“We have a lot of factfinding to do. We have a lot of interviews to do,” Apple told reporters. “I’m not going to rush it because of who he is. And I’m not going to delay it because of who he is.”
The complaint, filed last week, is the first known instance where a woman has made an official report with a law enforcement agency over alleged misconduct by the Democratic governor.
The aide says Cuomo reached under her shirt and fondled her when they were alone in a room at the Executive Mansion last year. The woman also told investigators with the attorney general’s office that Cuomo once rubbed her rear end while they were posing together for a photo.
She said she pulled away from Cuomo, telling him “You’re crazy.”
Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, has said the allegation was fabricated.
“He is 63 years old. He has spent 40 years in public life and for him to all of the sudden be accused of a sexual assault of an executive assistant that he really doesn’t know, doesn’t pass muster,” Glavin said.
Apple declined to release the complaint Saturday but described the allegation as “sexual in nature.”
Cuomo has faced renewed calls to step down after an independent investigation overseen by the state attorney general’s office concluded he sexually harassed 11 women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers.
District attorneys in Manhattan, suburban Westchester, and Nassau counties and the state capital of Albany have said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney general’s inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.
Cuomo has adamantly denied touching the woman’s breasts, saying “I would have to lose my mind to do such a thing.”
The sheriff said his office would decide whether to file criminal charges against Cuomo, but said he hopes to reach agreement on that decision with the district attorney first.
The state Assembly’s judiciary committee plans to meet Monday to discuss the possibility of impeachment proceedings against Cuomo. Nearly twothirds of the legislative body have already said they favor an impeachment trial if he won’t resign.