(NewsNation Now) — A misdemeanor “sex crime” complaint against former governor Andrew Cuomo has been filed in Albany City Court, a New York state court spokesperson confirmed to NewsNation.
The ex-governor is accused of forcibly touching an unidentified woman, according to a redacted criminal complaint made available.
The complaint alleges Cuomo forcibly placed his hand under the woman’s blouse “for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires.”
The incident allegedly took place on the second floor of the governor’s mansion between 3:51 p.m. and 4:07 p.m. in the afternoon in Albany on December 7, 2020, according to the complaint.
“From the moment my office received the referral to investigate allegations that former Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, we proceeded without fear or favor,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report.”
Cuomo announced his resignation in August after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall from grace a year after he was hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 63-year-old Democrat emphatically denied intentionally mistreating women and called the pressure for his ouster politically motivated. But he said that fighting back in this “too hot” political climate would subject the state to months of turmoil.
“The best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” Cuomo said in a televised address.
A statement from Mariann Wang, attorney for two of Cuomo’s accusers, Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis, said:
My clients are enormously grateful for the courage of the women who have come forward to speak the truth about Cuomo’s misconduct.
Cuomo is being held to account as he should be, including by being forced to answer a criminal charge.
We hope that all men who abuse their power by abusing women will see this and understand that there will be real consequences to their profoundly damaging behavior.
This story is developing.
