Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, has been charged with forcible touch, just two months after he was pushed out by Letitia James, New York AG Attorney General Letitia James’s wife, who is now running for his job.
The charges were filed in Albany City Court on Thursday, before the sheriffs had received permission from Brittany Commisso, the victim, to do so.
Commisso claimed Cuomo groped him in her breast at the Executive Mansion in Albany, in November 2020, when he was at the height his pandemic popularity. He has always denied the allegations.
Her claim was the most serious out of all the allegations made in James’s report. Cuomo claims it was a hit-job done by the AG to get her out of her way. In November 2022, she will run for governor.
Although the announcement of the charges was chaotic, Lucien Chalfen, a spokesperson for the court system, confirmed the news to The Washington Post.
Cuomo can spend up to one-year in prison if convicted.
Brittany Commisso spoke for the first time in a pre-taped interview. It was previewed on Sunday, and aired in part Monday morning.
An Albany reporter for New York Focus first reported the news. He cited unnamed sources at the court and said that charges had been brought against him.
The Times Union, a local Albany paper, reported that the charges were filed too soon and that the court system made a mistake.
The charges have not been commented on by the sheriff’s office nor the city courts clerks, but a court spokesperson confirmed that a statement would be made soon.
Albany City Court has filed a Misdemeanor Complaint Against Former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
‘As this is a sex crime, a redacted complaint will be available shortly,’ Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for New York State courts, told The Washington Post.