Aide who says Cuomo groped her files criminal complaint

ALBANY, N.Y. — A pistillate who accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping her bosom astatine the governor’s authorities residence has filed a transgression ailment against him, the Albany County Sheriff’s bureau said Friday.

The complaint, filed Thursday with the sheriff’s office, is the archetypal known lawsuit wherever a pistillate has made an authoritative study with a instrumentality enforcement bureau implicit alleged misconduct by Cuomo. Its filing is simply a imaginable archetypal measurement toward bringing transgression charges.

“We instrumentality each ailment seriously,” Albany County Undersheriff William Rice said Friday.

It’s imaginable the Democratic politician could beryllium arrested if investigators oregon the region territory lawyer find helium committed a crime, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple told the New York Post.

“The extremity effect could either beryllium it sounds substantiated and an apprehension is made and it would beryllium up to the DA to prosecute the arrest,” helium told the newspaper, which was the archetypal to study connected the complaint. “Just due to the fact that of who it is we are not going to unreserved it oregon hold it,” Apple said.

Apple didn’t instantly instrumentality a telephone connection from The Associated Press.

The Cuomo adjutant who filed the study has accused him of reaching nether her garment and fondling her erstwhile they were unsocial successful a country astatine the Executive Mansion past year. The pistillate besides told investigators with the lawyer general’s bureau that Cuomo erstwhile rubbed her rear extremity portion they were posing unneurotic for a photo.

The sheriff’s bureau didn’t instantly supply a transcript of the complaint.

Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, didn’t instantly code the transgression ailment successful an online briefing with reporters, but said the groping allegation — which was besides outlined successful paper articles and successful a study released by the New York lawyer general’s bureau — was fabricated.

“This woman’s story, which is stated arsenic information successful the report, is false. The documentary grounds does not enactment what she said,” Glavin said.

The Albany County territory lawyer would not corroborate that they received a complaint, saying they had nary plans to merchandise immoderate accusation due to the fact that “this is an ongoing substance that is nether review,” spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said successful an email.

Calls for Cuomo’s resignation oregon impeachment soared this week aft an autarkic probe overseen by the authorities lawyer general’s bureau concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women and worked to retaliate against 1 of his accusers.

The lawyer general’s study describes a bid of times Cuomo allegedly acted inappropriately with the adjutant described arsenic Executive Assistant #1, culminating with the groping brushwood astatine the mansion connected Nov. 16, 2020.

According to the woman, Cuomo pulled her successful for a hug arsenic she prepared to permission the governor’s bureau astatine the mansion. Told that “you’re going to get america successful trouble,” Cuomo replied, “I don’t care,” and slammed the doorway shut. He slid his manus up her blouse, and grabbed her bosom implicit her bra, according to the report.

“I person to archer you, it was — astatine the moment, I was successful specified daze that I could conscionable archer you that I conscionable retrieve looking down seeing his hand, seeing the apical of my bra,” she told investigators.

She pulled distant from Cuomo and said, “You’re crazy.”

Cuomo has adamantly denied touching her breasts, saying “I would person to suffer my caput to bash specified a thing.”

Records corroborate that the pistillate was astatine the mansion for respective hours connected Nov. 16 and had astatine slightest 1 enactment with the governor, but Glavin said she besides sent emails to unit portion she was successful the gathering that didn’t notation that thing upsetting had happened.

The pistillate told investigators she had initially planned to instrumentality the harassment claims “to the grave.”

Prosecutors successful respective New York counties person said they are funny successful investigating claims of inappropriate touching by Cuomo, but each had said they needed the women progressive successful the allegations to marque a ceremonial report.

The Albany Police Department, the superior instrumentality enforcement bureau for the city, had been informed of the woman’s allegations regarding the brushwood astatine the mansion respective months agone and had spoken to her lawyer, but didn’t unfastened an probe astatine the clip due to the fact that she didn’t marque a report.

The transgression probe comes arsenic lawmakers were moving toward a apt impeachment proceeding implicit the allegations.

Lawyers moving for the authorities Assembly sent a missive to Cuomo Thursday giving him until Aug. 13 to respond to the allegations against him oregon supply documents to bolster his defense.

The authorities Assembly’s judiciary committee plans to conscionable Monday to sermon the anticipation of impeachment proceedings. Nearly two-thirds of the legislative assemblage person already said they favour an impeachment proceedings if helium won’t resign.

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AP newsman Michael Hill contributed from Albany, New York.