Sex crime charges have been filed against ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo for groping a former staffer in Albany and the disgraced former head of New York State is reportedly expected to be arrested next week.
The misdemeanor charges are a result of a probe by Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who investigated the 2019 incident when Cuomo allegedly groped his then-aide Brittany Commisso in the Executive Mansion at the Empire State’s capital, another tabloid reported.
State Office of Court Administration spokesperson Lucian Chalfen confirmed to amNewYork Metro that charges have been filed.
“A Misdemeanor Complaint against former Governor Andrew Cuomo has been filed in Albany City Court,” he said. “As this is a sex crime, a redacted complaint will be available shortly.”
Commisso’s was the most serious allegation among the 11 women who accused the disgraced former governor of sexual harassment in Attorney General Letitia James’s bombshell report.
In the probe, she accused Cuomo of groping her and hugging her at the Governor’s Mansion on New Year’s Eve in 2019 after she helped him with his State of the State speech.
She was anonymized as Executive Assistant #1 in the Aug. 3 James report, but she came forward publicly six days later in an interview with CBS.
“These were not hugs that he would give his mother or his brother, these were hugs with the intention of getting some personal sexual satisfaction out of,” Commisso said on air at the time.
The governor’s physical contact toward her also included regular hugs and kisses on the cheek and at least one kiss on the lips, according to the AG’s probe.
DA Soares launched a criminal investigation soon after the report’s release, while Cuomo, who resigned on Aug. 24, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in response to the 11 women’s allegations.
The former governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was first published on amNewYork.com
