Cuomo aide files criminal complaint.

NEW YORK >> A woman who accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping her breast in the executive mansion last year has filed a criminal complaint with the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

The criminal complaint from the woman, an executive assistant whose name has not been publicized, increases the possibility that the governor could face criminal charges related to his behavior, though charges, let alone a conviction, are not guaranteed.

But any escalation of Cuomo’s legal problems could also serve to heighten his political woes as the state Assembly concludes its investigation into his conduct and prepares to draft articles of impeachment against him.

The Albany County district attorney, David Soares, is one of five prosecutors who have so far indicated that their offices are investigating the governor’s conduct after a report from the New York state attorney general’s office this week found that he had sexually harassed 11 women, many of whom were current or former employees.

A spokesperson for Soares declined to comment on the complaint, saying only that the investigation was “an ongoing matter that is under review.”

Legal experts have said that Cuomo’s conduct toward the assistant, as described in the attorney general’s report, could be charged as forcible touching, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in prison.

The governor, a thirdterm Democrat who is also facing the threat of a lawsuit from another accuser, has repeatedly denied ever inappropriately touching the woman or any of the others who have accused him of sexual misconduct. On Thursday, he said he would cooperate with the state Assembly’s request for information from him.