ALBANY, N.Y. — A criminal complaint filed by an Albany County Sheriff's investigator accuses former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of committing a misdemeanor sex crime.
A spokesman for New York State Courts told 2 On Your Side Thursday that a misdemeanor complaint had been filed in Albany City Court against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, although there were also reports that the document might have been submitted in error.
The brief complaint accused Cuomo of putting his hand under a woman’s shirt on Dec. 7, 2020. The document didn’t name the woman but Cuomo had been publicly accused of groping aide Brittany Commisso at the executive mansion in Albany last year.
In a press release, the Albany County Sheriff said, "On Thursday, October 28, 2021, Sheriff’s Investigators presented Albany City Court with evidence for their review to determine the most appropriate legal pathway moving forward on the investigation. Sheriff’s Investigators have been conducting an investigation into former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo since August 5, 2021, for a criminal complaint of forcible touching and have determined that there was enough probable cause to present evidence to the court."
The release also said that Cuomo has been issued a summons to appear in court on Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m.
But Albany District Attorney David Soares, whose office would prosecute the case said in a statement he was "surprised to learn" about the filing. Soares added that his office would not be commenting further on the case.
Rich Azzopardi , a spokesman for Cuomo, said in a statement, "'Accidentally' filing a criminal charge without notification and consent of the prosecuting body doesn’t pass the laugh test and this process reeks of Albany politics and perhaps worse. The fact that the AG — as predicted — is about to announce a run for governor is lost on no one. The truth about what happened with this cowboy sheriff will come out."
New York Attorney General Letitia James responded, stating, "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. The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report."
Cuomo’s lawyer Rita Glavin told NBC News her client "never assaulted anyone," and pointed to the confusion between the DA and the sheriff. "Sheriff Apple didn’t even tell the District Attorney what he was doing," Glavin said. "This is not professional law enforcement; this is politics."
Cuomo resigned from office in August amid multiple investigations into alleged sexual misconduct.
This is a developing story. Stay with 2 On Your Side for updates.
Read the full complaint here: