Former New York Governor Set To Be Arrested, Formally Charged With Misdemeanor

One of several complaints that former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been formally filed on Thursday, Oct. 28.

The first charge is a misdemeanor sex offense case filed in the court of Albany. The misconduct scandal is what led the 63-year-old to step down from office in August after 10 years of service.

At that time, a 168-page probe report found that Cuomo had allegedly harassed 11 women, Reuters reported.

Cuomo is set to appear in court on Nov. 17 according to the summons that was issued on Thursday. It has however not yet been served.

Despite this development, Cuomo’s defense attorney Rita Glavin said that the former Governor is innocent. She also questioned the actions of Sheriff Craig Apple who handled the case.

"This is not professional law enforcement; this is politics," Glavin stated.

However, David Soares, the district attorney for Albany County, batted that Apple acted independently of local prosecutors.

"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," Soares stated.

In the complaint, Cuomo is being accused of forcibly placing his hand under the blouse shirt of the female victim and onto her private part on Dec. 7, 2020. It was added that Cuomo had allegedly fondled the woman’s breast for purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires. The identity of the woman was not revealed.

Before that, former gubernatorial staffer Brittany Commisso also filed similar charges alleging that Cuomo had also groped her breast at the Executive Mansion in Albany late last year.

With several other women also reportedly victims, more charges are likely to follow. Cuomo is expected to be arrested by next week and charged with a misdemeanor in the alleged groping of a former aide.

For his part, Cuomo said in the past that he has done nothing wrong. However, he is accepting full responsibility for what he feels was ill-conceived attempts to be allegedly affectionate or humorous.

"In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn't realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn,” Cuomo said at the time of his resignation.