A misdemeanor complaint was released Thursday against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, alleging that in December 2020 at the governor's mansion, he "did intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part."
The complaint goes on to claim he did this "for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires." The victim is not named in the complaint. A summons has also been issued to Cuomo, ordering him to appear in court on Nov. 17.
The filing was a shock to Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who said in a statement: "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."
In August, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a report stating it found Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women; he resigned a week later, denying the allegations. James released a statement on Thursday saying when her office received the referral to investigate the accusations against Cuomo, "we proceeded without fear or favor. The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings of our report."