DA: No Charges for Cuomo From Allegations by 2 Women

December 29, 2021by David Porter and Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press
DA: No Charges for Cuomo From Allegations by 2 Women
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation on Aug. 10, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won’t face criminal charges stemming from allegations from two women — including a state trooper — that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks, a suburban prosecutor said Tuesday. It’s the latest in a series of decisions about whether a raft of sexual assault and harassment claims against Cuomo will end up in criminal court.

Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that while there was evidence to conclude the conduct the women described did occur, she couldn’t bring criminal cases over it.

“In both instances, my office has determined that, although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and the conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York,” Rocah said in a statement.

Cuomo had no immediate comment on the decision. The Democrat has denied sexually harassing anyone or touching anyone inappropriately and has said he doesn’t recall touching the trooper.

A number of prosecutors around the state launched investigations after state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, chronicled accusations from 11 women against Cuomo. The August report led to his resignation from office, although he has attacked the findings as biased and inaccurate.

In October, the Albany County sheriff’s office filed a misdemeanor groping complaint against Cuomo, but a week later the district attorney asked a judge for more time to evaluate the evidence.

The district attorney said the sheriff’s one-page criminal complaint, based on allegations from a woman who said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast at the governor’s mansion in late 2020, was “potentially defective.”

At the prosecutor’s request, a court delayed Cuomo’s scheduled arraignment until Jan. 7.

Last week, a Long Island prosecutor said Cuomo wouldn’t face criminal charges after the same trooper as in the Westchester investigation said she felt “completely violated” by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park in September 2019. Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said the allegations were credible and troubling but not criminal under state law.

The alleged Westchester County incident involving the trooper happened outside Cuomo’s then-home in Mount Kisco, according to the district attorney’s office. The trooper told investigators that while stationed in the driveway as part of Cuomo’s security detail in summer 2019, she asked the governor if he needed anything, and he responded by asking her whether he could kiss her.

“I remember just freezing, being — in the back of my head, I’m like, ‘Oh, how do I say no politely?’ Because in my head, if I said no, he’s going to take it out on the detail. And now I’m on the bad list,” she told investigators, according to James’ report.

So, she said, she told him, “Sure.” He kissed her on the cheek, while saying something like “Oh, I’m not supposed to do that,” or “Unless that’s against the rules,” she told investigators.

A male colleague told investigators he witnessed the episode, the attorney general’s report said.

The trooper hasn’t been publicly identified. A message seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for her.

In the other incident that Westchester prosecutors examined, Cuomo allegedly greeted a woman by grabbing her arm, pulling her toward him and kissing her on the cheek without asking whether that was OK. She was attending a press conference he gave at White Plains High School in June 2018.

“I smiled nervously afterward. I had to endure comments from people in attendance,” the woman, Susan Iannucci, told reporters at a virtual news conference in August.

Iannucci, a school office manager, said she came forward because she was appalled to see Cuomo use a photo of the encounter in a compilation video that he released to argue that he commonly greeted people with kisses, touches and hugs “to convey warmth.”

Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said Tuesday that Iannucci had spoken to the DA’s office knowing that criminal charges weren’t legally possible. Nonetheless, Iannucci was gratified that prosecutors found her and her allegation credible, her attorney said.

“We thank the district attorney’s office for their serious consideration of this matter,” Allred said in a statement.

A+
a-
  • Andrew Cuomo
  • governor
  • New York State
  • sexual harassment
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    New York

    Prosecutors Say They're Open to Delaying Donald Trump's March 25 Hush-Money Trial for a Month

    NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors said Thursday they are open to delaying the start of Donald Trump's hush-money criminal... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors said Thursday they are open to delaying the start of Donald Trump's hush-money criminal trial by a month “in an abundance of caution” to give the former president's lawyers time to review evidence they received only recently from a previous federal... Read More

    The United States Has Its First Large Offshore Wind Farm, With More to Come

    America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm is officially open, a long-awaited moment that helps pave the way for a succession... Read More

    America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm is officially open, a long-awaited moment that helps pave the way for a succession of large wind farms. Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource built a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork Wind 35 miles (56 kilometers)... Read More

    In New York City, Heat Pumps That Fit in Apartment Windows Promise Big Emissions Cuts

    NEW YORK (AP) — For 27 years, the heat in Regina Fred’s Queens apartment building came from a noisy steam... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — For 27 years, the heat in Regina Fred’s Queens apartment building came from a noisy steam radiator that she couldn't control and sometimes didn't come on at all, leaving her shivering. Sometimes, the radiators ran so hot that residents had to keep... Read More

    New York AG Says She’ll Seize Trump’s Property if He Can’t Pay $454M Civil Fraud Debt

    NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t pay his staggering New York civil fraud penalty. With interest, he owes the state nearly $454 million — and the amount is going up $87,502 each day until... Read More

    February 14, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    New York City Sues Social Media Platforms for ‘Fueling’ Mental Health Crisis

    NEW YORK — The city of New York and its health and education departments sued five social media platforms on... Read More

    NEW YORK — The city of New York and its health and education departments sued five social media platforms on Wednesday, saying they need to be held accountable for fueling a mental health crisis among youths across the nation. The announcement of the lawsuit against TikTok,... Read More

    Democrat Tom Suozzi Wins New York Race to Succeed George Santos in Congress

    Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on... Read More

    Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Tuesday, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top