Westchester DA won’t pursue criminal charges against Cuomo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after saying his resignation. | Seth Wenig/AP Photograph
ALBANY, N.Y. — Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is not going to face criminal charges for alleged sexual harassment that befell in Westchester County, the native district legal professional introduced on Tuesday.
The investigation into Cuomo’s conduct within the county he as soon as referred to as residence discovered credible proof that the incidents — kisses on the cheek of an on-duty feminine state trooper and of a faculty worker with out consent at a public occasion within the metropolis of White Plains — did happen, District Lawyer Miriam Rocah mentioned in an announcement.
“Nevertheless, in each cases, my Workplace has decided that, though the allegations and witnesses have been credible, and the conduct regarding, we can’t pursue criminal charges as a result of statutory necessities of the criminal legal guidelines of New York,” Rocah mentioned.
That is the second criminal investigation against the previous governor to conclude with out charges. The Nassau County district legal professional introduced final week that harassment allegations against Cuomo in that jurisdiction wouldn’t result in a criminal case, though the prosecutor referred to as the allegations “credible” and “deeply troubling.”
Cuomo resigned in August after the discharge of a report by state Lawyer Common Tish James concluding that he had harassed 11 girls.
Rocah was wanting into an incident involving a kiss on the trooper’s cheek on the residence Cuomo shared together with his then-girlfriend, Sandra Lee, within the Westchester city of Mount Kisco. Rocah additionally investigated the allegation of a faculty worker who got here ahead a couple of kiss on the cheek she didn’t conform to after Cuomo used a photograph of the incident in a montage to defend what he mentioned was his routine greeting.
Outgoing Manhattan District Lawyer Cy Vance additionally launched a criminal investigation into Cuomo’s conduct in August. In the meantime, the Albany County sheriff, Craig D. Apple, filed a criminal criticism against Cuomo over an allegation of forcible touching within the Government Mansion, however the arraignment has been postponed pending an investigation by the county district legal professional, David Soares.
