Cuomo accused of forcible touching

ALBANY, N.Y. —A criminal complaint filed by a police investigator with a court in Albany has accused former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of committing a misdemeanor sex crime, though there was confusion Thursday over whether the document was submitted in error.

The one-page complaint, filed by an investigator with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, accused Mr. Cuomo of putting his hand under a woman’s shirt on Dec. 7, 2020. The document didn’t name the woman but Mr. Cuomo had been publicly accused of groping an aide, Brittany Commisso, at the executive mansion in Albany last year around that date.

The Times Union, of Albany, quoted unnamed officials as saying the complaint had been issued “prematurely” and that a final decision hadn’t been made about whether Mr. Cuomo would face charges.

The office of Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple didn’t directly address that report, but confirmed in a statement that a criminal summons had been issued by Albany City Court ordering Mr. Cuomo to appear there at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 17.

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.”

Mr. Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, said in a statement that the Democrat never assaulted anyone, “and Sheriff Apple’s motives here are patently improper.”

Ms. Commisso, who was an executive assistant for Mr. Cuomo, says he reached under her shirt and fondled her when they were alone in a room at the governor’s mansion in Albany.

Mr. Cuomo has adamantly denied groping her.

The crime of forcible touching is punishable in New York by up to year in jail and up to three years probation.