ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — New York governor’s office said it has reported Cuomo groping allegation to police.
According to a new report in the New York Times, Albany’s police department received a report of the alleged groping incident at the Executive Mansion involving Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a woman aide. The Office of the Governor reportedly said that the aide’s attorney did not want to file a report, but that the Office was obligated to do so.
Cuomo has said that he’s never touched anyone inappropriately.
The Albany Police Department’s public information officer, Steve Smith, is quoted extensively throughout the story. In it, he said they didn’t receive a formal complaint from the unidentified accuser, but that they’d contacted a representative for her.
Smith said there is no criminal investigation, but that the accusation may reach “the level of a crime.” He said they received a referral from State Police following Wednesday night’s publication of the latest accusation against the governor.
However, Beth Garvey, the governor’s acting counsel, said in a statement Thursday that as a matter of state policy, the woman who made the allegations was told she should contact her local police department. She said she called the police herself when the woman declined, through her lawyer, to make a formal complaint.
On Wednesday night, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan released a statement about involvement from local police:
“The act of speaking out after being victimized can be a deeply painful and traumatic experience. The young woman referenced in recent reports has the right to determine who she speaks to regarding her experience and when. The Attorney General has commenced an investigation into previous allegations against the Governor, and I have the utmost confidence in her ability to investigate this latest report.
“At this time no criminal complaint involving this matter has been filed by the victim with the Albany Police Department, but Chief Hawkins assured me this evening that APD stands ready to assist any victim who seeks to come forward.”
Kathy Sheehan
Mayor of Albany
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
