Andrew Cuomo: Former New York Governor accused of groping in court

A criminal complaint accusing former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of groping has been filed in a court of law.

The complaint, filed Thursday in the Albany state capital, accuses Mr. Cuomo of groping a woman under her blouse in the governor’s villa.

A Cuomo lawyer – who resigned in August – denied the charge, dismissing it as politically motivated.

An offense of unwanted contact can lead to a sentence of one year in prison.

Mr. Cuomo resigned after the New York State Attorney General found in an investigation that he had molested 11 female employees.

The former governor denied sexual misconduct, but apologized for ever making a woman feel uncomfortable.

According to CBS News, a partner of the BBC in the United States, Mr. Cuomo was sentenced to appear in court on November 17.

The file states that Mr. Cuomo “intentionally, and without any legitimate purpose, forcibly placed his hand under the victim’s blouse and on the intimate part of his body.”

It is claimed that he did so “in order to degrade and gratify his sexual desires, all contrary to the provisions of the statute”.

The complaint does not mention the victim’s name, but states that the alleged abuse occurred at the governor’s executive residence in Albany on December 7, 2020.

Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin, told CBS that her client denies the allegations and accused the local sheriff of “improper” motive.

“This is not professional law enforcement; this is politics,” he said.

The indictment comes more than two months after Cuomo’s former aide, Brittany Commisso, filed a complaint with the county sheriff, accusing the governor of touching her breasts last year.

Mr Cuomo has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing against Mrs Commisso, the governor’s former executive assistant.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who investigated Mr. Cuomo and is now a candidate for governor herself, tweeted: “The criminal charges against Mr. Cuomo for forced contact further validate the findings of our report.”