No Criminal Raps vs Cuomo From Allegations By Two Women

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.

Photo Insert: For now, it appears like former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has dodged a bullet.

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, David Porter and Jennifer Peltz reported for the Associated Press (AP).

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.

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.

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