An assistant to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., filed a criminal complaint with the Albany County Sheriff's Office against the state's chief executive for allegedly fondling her, the New York Post reported Friday.
A sheriff's department official confirmed to Newsmax that a criminal complaint had been filed.
The victim, identified as "Executive Assistant #1," in state Attorney General Letitia James’ sexual harassment report, filed the complaint Thursday afternoon, the Post reported.
The woman met with sheriff's officials, who since have contacted the Albany County District Attorney's office, Sheriff Craig Apple told the Post.
Apple told the newspaper that Cuomo could be arrested if the allegations are substantiated.
"The end result could either be it sounds substantiated and an arrest is made and it would be up to the DA to prosecute the arrest," Apple said. "Just because of who it is we are not going to rush it or delay it."
James on Tuesday announced investigators' findings into allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees.
The investigators' report said the governor created a "hostile work environment for women" by "among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching."
The unidentified victim lodged the most serious accusation against the governor detailed in James' report, the Post said. She accused Cuomo of pulling her in for a hug, reaching under her blouse and fondling one of her breasts in the Executive Mansion in Albany on Nov. 16.
"I mean it was — he was like cupping my breast. He cupped my breast," the woman told investigators, the Post reported.
"I have to tell you it was — at the moment I was in such shock that I could just tell you that I just remember looking down seeing his hand, seeing the top of my bra and I remember it was like a little even the cup — the kind of bra that I had to the point I could tell you doesn’t really fit me properly, it was a little loose, I just remember seeing exactly that."
The victim also told investigators that Cuomo groped her after asking her to snap selfies inside his office at the governor's mansion on Dec. 31, 2019.
Cuomo "moved his hand to grab her butt cheek and began to rub it" for at least five seconds as she took the photo, the report said.
The report stated that the victim was shaking uncontrollably during the encounter, and the first photos she took were blurry. The governor then warned her not to share the photo she took with anyone, the Post said.
The victim also told investigators that she was terrified to tell anyone about Cuomo’s actions because she felt she would lose her job.
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