Disgraced NY Ex-Gov Andrew Cuomo Faces Arrest For Groping Former Aide: Report

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had to quit office in disgrace late August, has reportedly been charged with a misdemeanor sex offense for “intentionally” groping a former aide, a criminal complaint revealed.

In the criminal complaint filed Thursday at the Albany City Court from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, it was stated that Cuomo “did intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim … and onto her intimate body part.”

The complaint added that the 63-year-old politician placed his hand on “the victims [sic] left breast for the purposes of degrading and satisfying his sexual desire,” New York Post reported. Cuomo is set to appear in court on Nov. 17, according to a summons issued Thursday but has yet to be served, the Albany Times Union reported.

A lawyer representing former Cuomo assistant, Brittany Commisso, confirmed that the 33-year-old was the alleged victim whose name was redacted from the complaint, the Post added.

The complaint further charged Cuomo with forcible touching. If he is convicted, he could face up to one year in jail for the incident that allegedly took place on Dec. 7, 2020, at the Executive Mansion, which is the New York governor’s official residence.

The complaint’s filing has also been confirmed to Reuters by Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the New York state courts, in an emailed statement. Chalfen referred to the offense as a “sex crime.”

Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, denied the allegations and went on to question Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple’s move.

“Governor Cuomo has never assaulted anyone, and Sheriff Apple’s motives here are patently improper,” she said, adding that Apple did not inform the District Attorney about the complaint’s filing.

Responding to Glavin’s comments, Apple said: “I would expect nothing less from that camp. We get paid to protect people and help people that’s exactly what we are doing.”

David Soares, District Attorney for Albany County, said in a separate statement that Apple acted independently in the filing.

Earlier in August, New York Attorney General Letitia James said that her office’s 5-month investigation on Cuomo revealed that the former governor “sexually harassed multiple women and violated state law.” At that time, Cuomo repeatedly denied the allegations but announced that he would leave office on Aug. 25.

Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., replaced him shortly. In a statement on Twitter, James said the “criminal charges against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report.”

Days after James’ report went public, Commisso spoke with “CBS This Morning,” revealing that Cuomo “put his hand up my blouse and cupped my breast over my bra.” Commisso, who started working at Cuomo’s office in 2017, was referred to as “Executive Assistant #1” in James’ investigative report.

Sources reportedly told New York Post that Cuomo is expected to surrender to authorities sometime next week for his arrest and booking.