Albany (New York), Oct 29:A criminal complaint filed by a police investigator with a court in Albany has accused former New York governor Andrew Cuomo of committing a misdemeanour sex crime, though there were reports that the document might have been submitted in error.
The brief complaint, filed by an investigator with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, accused Cuomo of putting his hand under a woman’s shirt on December 7, 2020.
The document didn’t name the woman but Cuomo had been publicly accused of groping an aide, Brittany Commisso, at the executive mansion in Albany last year.
The Associated Press doesn’t usually identify alleged sexual assault victims unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Commisso has done in newspaper and television interviews.
The Albany County district attorney’s office and Albany County Sheriff did not immediately return messages but 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 Cuomo would face charges.
Cuomo’s lawyer and spokesperson didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
The complaint filed by the sheriff’s department investigator said evidence in the case included police BlackBerry messages, cell phone records, building security records and a text message from Cuomo’s mobile phone. The complaint was signed by the officer Monday and stamped by the court as received Thursday.
District attorneys in Oswego, Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties also had said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney general’s inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.
Also, the Assembly Judiciary Committee is completing a wide-ranging impeachment investigation of Cuomo that began before he resigned. The also were looking at the administration’s handling of COVID-19 data and efforts to rush COVID-19 testing for Cuomo’s inner circle in spring 2020. (AGENCIES)
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