Cuomo Touching of Trooper Not a Crime, Long Island D.A. Says
Cuomo Touching of Trooper Wasn’t a Crime, Long Island D.A. Says
(Bloomberg) -- Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment of a member of his security detail at a Long Island race track, part of a damning report that led to his resignation in August, was “deeply troubling” but not criminal, the local district attorney concluded.
The finding was announced Thursday by Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith, whose office probed one of 11 alleged incidents of abuse by Cuomo outlined in the report by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The report included a finding that Cuomo had broken the law in 2019 by running his fingers along a state trooper’s stomach while she helped him out of a car at an even at Belmont Racetrack, which is within Smith’s jurisdiction. James said each incident in the report violated federal or state law, but she left it to local law enforcement to weigh charges.
“It is important to note that our investigation was limited to alleged conduct at Belmont Racetrack, and prosecutors in other jurisdictions continue to review other allegations of misconduct by Mr. Cuomo,” Smith said in an emailed statement. “We thank the brave individuals who came forward and cooperated with our office during this investigation.”
Cuomo continues to deny wrongdoing, months after he was replaced by Governor Kathy Hochul. James, also a Democrat, briefly joined the race to replace Cuomo but dropped out earlier this month. Cuomo has frequently accused James of trying to destroy his career for political gain, a claim he reiterated Thursday in response to Smith’s decision.
“With each passing day it becomes more and more clear that the Attorney General’s report was the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes,” Cuomo said in an emailed statement. “It was obviously a political springboard to remove Governor Cuomo so she could run for office.”
James’s office declined to comment.
The 165-page report -- backed by thousands of pages of evidence, including interview transcripts -- affirmed claims that Cuomo groped the women, made comments about their appearances and sex lives, and told them he was “lonely” and “wanted to be touched.” There were claims that he grabbed women’s breasts and buttocks, and in one striking example, that he ran a finger down the spine of the same state trooper in another incident as she stood in front of him in an elevator to protect him.
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