Former Cuomo assistant filed criminal complaint with Albany sheriff: report

A former assistant to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has filed a criminal complaint with the Albany County Sheriff’s office, the sheriff told the New York Post.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple told the newspaper that the unnamed woman filed the complaint Thursday afternoon and the Albany County District Attorney’s Office has been contacted.

“The end result could either be, it sounds substantiated and an arrest is made and it would be up to the DA to prosecute the arrest,” Apple told the Post.

“Just because of who it is we are not going to rush it or delay it,” he said.

The district attorney’s office told The Hill in a statement that it is “aware that there are media reports of formal complaints being filed in an ongoing inquiry being conducted by our office.”

“We will not be confirming these reports, nor will any documents or information be disclosed and released from our office at this time. This is an ongoing matter that is under review,” agency said.

Cuomo adviser Richard Azzopardi told The Hill in a statement regarding reporting from the Post that the office “made a referral” in accordance with state policies. He also referred The Hill to the governor’s previous statements about the accusation, in which he denied groping the former assistant. 

“As we said previously, we proactively made a referral nearly four months ago in accordance with state policies,” Azzopardi said. 

The Hill has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.

The criminal complaint comes days after New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report that found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including some in his office.

The victim who filed the complaint was identified in James’s report as “Executive Assistant #1,” according to the Post.

The report says that Cuomo engaged in a “pattern of inappropriate conduct” with her, including one incident in December 2019, when he grabbed her butt cheek and began to rub it while taking a selfie with her.

During another incident in November 2020, Cuomo “reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast” during “another close hug.”

The aide explained to investigators that she didn’t tell anyone about Cuomo’s behavior because she feared repercussions, according to the report.

The governor denied inappropriately touching the assistant, as well as other victims in the report.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares (D) is currently carrying out a criminal investigation into Cuomo, and has asked James’s office to share materials related to its investigation.