No charges for ex-NY governor over 2 kissing complaints

New York, Dec 29: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will not face criminal charges in connection with two incidents of alleged unwanted kisses, a district attorney said on Tuesday.

"Our investigation found credible evidence to conclude that the alleged conduct in both instances described above did occur," Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"However, in both instances, my Office has determined that, although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and the conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York," the statement read.

What were the allegations?

In one of the incidents in question, Cuomo is alleged to have kissed a female trooper assigned to his security detail. The woman had been on duty at the time at Cuomo's home in Mount Kisco in New York when he allegedly asked if he could kiss her.

She said that she feared ramifications and said, "Sure." Cuomo is then understood to have kissed her on the cheek.

In the other incident pointed out by Rocah, a woman alleged that Cuomo had grabbed her at a high school event, pulled her toward him and kissed her on the cheek without her consent.

Cuomo faces federal probe

The former governor faces a federal investigation along with the multiple state probes into his alleged behavior.

Rocah's statement said that the conclusions of her office were "unrelated to any possible civil liability which is beyond the scope of a District Attorney's jurisdiction, which focuses solely on criminal laws."

Last week, the Nassau County district attorney also said Cuomo would not face charges over allegations he had touched another female trooper after leaving an event in 2019.

In August, US Attorney General Letitia James detailed allegations from 11 women against Cuomo, which resulted in his resignation. Cuomo has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.

Cuomo's brother Chris Cuomo, who was a news anchor at US news network CNN, was fired earlier this month. CNN said information had shown that the anchor had been involved in the defense of his brother.

Source: DW