NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo escaped prosecution for allegedly inappropriately touching a female state trooper who worked on his security detail — even though the Nassau County District Attorney handling the case found the trooper’s accusations to be “credible” and “deeply troubling.”
“Our exhaustive investigation found the allegations credible, deeply troubling, but not criminal under New York law,” acting Nassau County DA Joyce Smith said in a written statement. “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.”
The trooper, who has not been named publicly, claimed that in September 2019 she was holding the door open for Cuomo at a Belmont event when he “ran the palm of his left hand across her stomach.”
She told investigators with the state attorney general’s office that she felt “completely violated because, to me, like that’s between my chest and my privates.”
But that was not the only accusations the trooper made against Cuomo.
She claimed that, while riding the elevator at the governor’s New York City office, he “placed his finger on the top of her neck and ran his finger down the center of her spine midway down her back,” and said, “Hey you.”
The trooper, who has not been named publicly, claimed Cuomo acted improperly on multiple occasions.
She told investigators that Cuomo’s behavior toward her was “flirtatious” and “creepy,” and that on one occasion he asked her: “Why don’t you wear a dress?” On another, she said he suggested her uniform made her look like an “Amish person.”
Hers are among several sexual harassment accusations against Cuomo that were laid out in an August report issued by Attorney General Letitia James. The report ultimately led to the disgraced former governor’s resignation.
More recently, the state Assembly also found “overwhelming evidence” that Cuomo sexually harassed women.
“We thank the brave individuals who came forward and cooperated with our office during this investigation, and gratefully acknowledge our colleagues, Attorney General James and the New York State Assembly, for their diligence and collaboration,” Smith said.
While the case in Nassau County has come to a close, he’s still facing charges in Albany, where he was charged last month with forcible touching after governor’s office staffer Brittany Commisso alleged he reached under her shirt and groped her breast. Cuomo is expected to be arraigned on Jan. 7 and will likely be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken.
He also could still face charges upstate in Oswego over accusations that he made unwanted advances toward a woman at a May 2017 event. According to Virginia Limmiatis, who was working at an energy company at the time, Cuomo approached her while greeting attendees at the conservation event and told her, “I’m going to say I see a spider on your shoulder” before touching her “between her shoulder and breasts,” according to James’ report.
Limmiatis said she came forward after Cuomo said in March that he never touched anyone inappropriately.
“He is lying again,” she told AG’s office investigators. “He touched me inappropriately.”
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the Nassau DA’s move demonstrated that James’ report “was the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes.”
Months after releasing the report, James announced she would run for governor, but she ultimately dropped her campaign.
“It was obviously a political springboard to remove Governor Cuomo so she could run for office,” Azzopardi said of her report. “Obviously it backfired, and James’ run for governor lasted only five weeks.”
A spokeswoman for James did not immediately respond.
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