The latest sexual harassment allegation against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was referred to Albany police after a state official said it might have risen “to the level of a crime.”
Police were notified of the incident after a Wednesday report in the Albany Times Union detailing an incident where Cuomo allegedly groped a female aide. Police have not opened an investigation into the matter, and the woman has not contacted the department, according to Steve Smith, a spokesman for the Albany police.
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Smith said that the groping allegation, the sixth harassment claim leveled against the governor, was reported by the New York State Police. Cuomo’s acting counsel, Beth Garvey, said in a statement that she contacted the police after the report was published.
“As a matter of state policy, when allegations of physical contact are made, the agency informs the complainant that they should contact their local police department,” Garvey said. “If they decline, the agency has an obligation to reach out themselves and inform the department of the allegation.”
Garvey added that, because the woman in question did not want to make the report herself, “the state notified the police department and gave them the attorney’s information.”
Cuomo’s office directed the Washington Examiner to Garvey’s statement. Cuomo has not faced the possibility of criminal charges in any of the other harassment claims.
In the Times Union’s report, the aide, who is younger than Cuomo, claimed that he began touching her under her blouse while she was helping him with a technical issue. Cuomo on Wednesday denied the allegation, which he called “gut-wrenching.”
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The governor is facing increasing pressure to resign from state Democrats.
