By Jonathan Allen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A county prosecutor in New York has decided not to bring criminal charges against Andrew Cuomo, the state’s former governor, over accusations he kissed two women against their will.
Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement on Tuesday that despite credible evidence supporting the women’s complaints, they did not meet the statutory requirements for bringing criminal charges.
A lawyer for Cuomo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Democrat who ran New York for a decade, Cuomo resigned in August after multiple women who worked for him accused him of unwanted sexual advances and contact. He denied touching anyone inappropriately and said his efforts to be a friendly boss may have been misinterpreted as flirtation.
He also faced investigations over his office’s efforts to mask from lawmakers the extent of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. A state ethics board later concluded he improperly used state employees to help write a book about his leadership skills, for which he received a $5.1 million advance.
He resigned after the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a damning report that concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. Several county prosecutors said they would investigate complaints in their jurisdictions.
In one of the encounters investigated by Westchester County, a female state trooper said she was on duty in the security detail outside Cuomo’s home in Mount Kisco when she asked the governor in the driveway if he needed anything.
She said Cuomo asked if he could kiss her. She said she feared ramifications if she denied the governor’s request, and answered: “Sure.”
In the second episode, a woman said Cuomo grabbed her arm, pulled her toward him and kissed her on the cheek without her consent.
The U.S. Department of Justice also opened an investigation into the complaints of workplace sexual harassment by Cuomo, according to records released by state lawmakers this month.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Howard Goller)
