This archive report was first published on 29 October 2021.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been charged with groping a female aide's breast in the Executive Mansion, in a case that has sparked a new chapter in his political downfall.
The misdemeanor complaint, filed in Albany City Court on October 28, 2021, centers on an alleged interaction between Cuomo and a female aide, Brittany Commisso, in the governor's residence in Albany on December 7, 2020.
Commisso had previously accused Cuomo of groping her breast while they were alone in the mansion late last year. The charge against Cuomo caught many in the state capital by surprise, including David Soares, the district attorney in Albany, who said in a statement that he was surprised to learn about the complaint filed by the county's sheriff, Craig Apple.
Apple's office did not respond to several requests for comment on Thursday, and news of the criminal complaint was public for several hours before the sheriff released a statement confirming that a criminal summons had been issued.
Forcible touching is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in prison. To prove it, prosecutors must show that the defendant acted either to degrade his victim, or for his own sexual gratification.
The evidence against Cuomo, the complaint said, includes a text message from his cellphone, State Police Blackberry PIN messages, State Police aviation records for December 7, and swipe-card entry records from the State Capitol.
Mr. Cuomo would not be added to the sex offender registry even if convicted of the misdemeanor, as the charge of forcible touching would require the victim to be younger than 18 for an offender to be listed on the registry.
