New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last May.POOL / Reuters
Cast into office, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo increases the chances of facing criminal charges for the sexual harassment allegations against him.
An employee, whose name has not been released, has filed the first criminal complaint against the Democrat, as reported Friday by the Albany County Sheriff's Office.
The complainant is one of 11 women who, according to the Prosecutor's Office after an exhaustive investigation, were sexually harassed by Cuomo.
So far, the governor, who defends his innocence, has ignored pressure from the highest echelons of his party - including President Joe Biden - to resign.
More information
Pressures to resign over sexual harassment corner New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
The assistant governor accuses him of having kissed and hugged her in ways that made her feel uncomfortable since 2019, and that, in November of last year, Cuomo reached under her blouse and stroked her when they were alone in his office. He also told investigators that his boss rubbed his butt while they posed for a photo together. The defendant's attorneys argue that the Democrat never touched her. The complaint filed Thursday with the sheriff's office may have grounds to determine that he committed a crime. "It would be up to the district attorney to process the arrest," Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple told the
New York Post
.
The investigations led by the attorney general of New York, Letitia James, were civil, not criminal, and therefore have no criminal repercussions. Prosecutors in five New York boroughs have opened investigations into Cuomo's alleged misconduct after the prosecution concluded in a devastating report released Tuesday that the Democrat harassed 11 women. Prosecutors have said they need the alleged victims to file a formal criminal complaint, like the one the assistant filed Thursday, to carry out the criminal investigation.
As pressure grows to resign, the state legislature - controlled by Democrats - is finalizing an investigation to impeach Cuomo and vote on his impeachment.
Most members of the assembly have already said that they are in favor of starting the process of removing the governor if he does not resign.
The Assembly's Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Cuomo's attorneys on Thursday to inform them that they have until August 13 to present any additional proof or evidence.
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