US: Sheriff claims there is 'overwhelming evidence' against Andrew Cuomo in sex crime case

There is an “overwhelming amount of evidence” in the misdemeanour sex crime case against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Albany county’s local sheriff said on Friday, 29 October, a day after his office filed the charges. Addressing reporters in the New York state capital, Craig Apple said that his office has a “solid case” against Cuomo and that he was “very confident” that the alleged sex offender will be prosecuted. On Thursday, Apple’s office filed a criminal complaint accusing Cuomo of “forcibly touching” a female employee back in 2020.

While Cuomo’s office has said that the complaint was about “politics” rather than justice, Apple said that they had enough evidence to get him prosecuted. Buttressing his stance, he said that investigators from his office combed through hundreds of documents, executed several search warrants and talked to numerous witnesses before making the allegations. 

Notably, the sudden complaint took the city court by surprise. According to a report by ABC News, District Attorney David Soares admitted that he was surprised to learn about the criminal complaint. Notably, the 68-year-old lawmaker is scheduled to appear before the court on November 17, Sputnik reported. 

The complaint accuses Cuomo of misdemeanour offence

On Thursday, the criminal complaint charged former New York State Governor Cuomo with a misdemeanour sex offence, according to a report by Associated Press. The complaint accused the 63-year-old-year-old of “forcibly touching” a female employee at his official residence. 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. 

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. 

(Image: AP)