Albany DA drops Andrew Cuomo sex crime charge
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The Albany County District Attorney's office said Tuesday it won't proceed with a misdemeanor sex crime charge against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Driving the news: "While we found the complainant in this case cooperative and credible, after review of all the available evidence, we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial," District Attorney David Soares wrote in a statement.
- "As such we have notified the Court that we are declining to prosecute this matter and requesting the charges filed by the Albany County Sheriff be dismissed."
- The statement comes three days before Cuomo was set to be arraigned in Albany City Court, AP reports.
The big picture: Brittany Commisso, one of Cuomo's former executive assistants, filed a criminal complaint in August accusing the former governor of forcible touching, per AP.
- Commisso's testimony was included in an independent investigation, released in August, that found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including employees in his office.
- Cuomo has denied allegations brought forth by Commisso and the other women, saying they were politically motivated, per AP.
- Cuomo is also being investigated for potential misuse of aides to promote his pandemic memoir and New York's COVID-19 policies in nursing homes.
What he's saying: "I, like most New Yorkers, remain deeply troubled by allegations like the ones at issue here. Such conduct has no place in government or in any workplace," Soares said.
- "Although avenues for criminal prosecution in these cases are sometimes limited, I encourage victims of workplace harassment and abuse to continue to come forward and bring these issues to light so that these important discussions can continue."
Go deeper: Cuomo under criminal investigation for sexual misconduct
