Ex-New York Guv Andrew Cuomo accused of 'forcibly touching' woman, charged with sex crime

A criminal complaint charging former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo with a misdemeanour sex offence was filed on Thursday, according to a report by Associated Press. The complaint which accused the 63-year-old-year-old of “forcibly touching” a female employee was filed by the Albany County Sheriff’s office at a court in the state capital. Notably, the complaint comes just two months after Cuomo stepped down from his position follwing dozens of sexual harassment accusations against him. 

As per the complaint, Cuomo “intentionally and for no legitimate purpose” slid his hand under the blouse of the unnamed victim and onto an intimate body part. The move was made on 7 December last year, solely aimed to "gratify his sexual desires" as well as to degrade the women in the case, as per the complaint. 

Meanwhile, court officials reckoned that they were caught off-guard. “Like the rest of the public, we were surprised to learn today that a criminal complaint was filed in Albany City Court by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office against Andrew Cuomo. The Office of Court Administration has since made that filing public. Our office will not be commenting further on this case,' office of the county’s district attorney, David Soares said. 

Andrew Cuomo’s resignation 

After being governor for over a decade, the 63-year-old announced his resignation earlier this month. He was pressured to step down after a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James found that he had sexually harassed almost a dozen women, including employees in his office, and violated state and federal laws. However, Cuomo has denied the mentioned wrongdoing as his friendship with his employees has been misinterpreted. 

In a video statement, Cuomo said that his conduct and motives had been mischaracterized by his accusers, and gave no sign that he was contemplating resignation. He said, "The facts are much different than what has been portrayed, I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances." 

(Image: AP)