Soares called it “potentially defective” and moved to delay Cuomo’s arraignment, originally set for November. Soares has said he was caught by surprise when Sheriff Craig Apple, a fellow Democrat, filed the forcible touching complaint without consulting the prosecutor’s office. Her testimony was among the most damning in a report released in August by Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James that concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.Ĭuomo resigned that month. The aide, Brittany Commisso, said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast when they were alone in an office at the mansion. The local sheriff filed the misdemeanor complaint in October, two months after Cuomo resigned from office.Īlbany County District Attorney David Soares told Trexler this week that although the aide was credible, and some evidence supported her account, he believed he couldn’t win a conviction in court. Some, including Commisso, have indicated they plan to do so. He could still face lawsuits over his conduct if his accusers choose to take him to court. He said he never touched anyone inappropriately. The dismissal of the charge, which accused Cuomo of groping an aide in the executive mansion in 2020, removes what had been seen as the most serious legal threat to the former governor. “A court may not and should not interfere with discretion of a district attorney,” she said. Judge Holly Trexler said she was “acutely aware” of district attorneys’ “unfettered discretion” to decide whether to prosecute a case. Not politics, rhetoric or mob mentality,” Glavin added.Īssistant district attorney Jennifer McCanney told the court that prosecutors had “reviewed all of the available evidence and concluded we cannot successfully secure a conviction in this case.” “Today, reason and the rule of law prevailed. READ MORE: Prosecutor drops groping charge against former New York Gov.

“As the governor has said, this simply did not happen,” she said in a video statement after the hearing. Wearing a black mask, he was briefly visible on the videoconference as his lawyer Rita Glavin moved her camera to show him in the room.

The move had been expected after Albany County prosecutors said they couldn’t prove the case and wanted to drop it, and Cuomo’s lawyers asked the court to agree.Ĭuomo, a Democrat who denied the allegation, didn’t speak during Friday’s short virtual hearing. Andrew Cuomo in connection with the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office. (AP) - A judge on Friday dismissed the only criminal charge filed against former New York Gov.

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