New York Prosecutor Won't Charge Ex-Governor Cuomo for Harassment - Statement

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - A New York county district attorney has decided not to criminally charge former state governor Andrew Cuomo for sexual misconduct due to a lack of evidence in a case brought against him by a woman, a statement from the prosecutor's office said.

"After a thorough review of the available evidence and applicable law, the Oswego County District Attorney's office has concluded that there is not a sufficient legal basis to bring criminal charges against former Governor Andrew Cuomo based on allegations made by Virginia Limmiatis", said the statement on Monday.

Cuomo, who was governor for more than a decade, resigned in August after allegations of misconduct brought against him by multiple women, including those who once worked alongside or directly under him.

The New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee, in an investigation report released in November, found that he repeatedly engaged in sexual harassment of his female staff.

Limmiatis, an energy company worker in New York, told investigators that Cuomo touched her chest during a May 2017 conservation event in Oswego County, New York.

The county's District Attorney Gregory Oakes made clear in the statement issued Monday that it was not doubting Limmiatis' story.

"In no way should this decision be interpreted as casting doubt upon the character or credibility of Ms Limmiatis, or how harmful the acts she experienced were", Oakes was quoted as saying in the statement. "This investigation makes clear what victims, their advocates, police, and prosecutors have said for years: The current sex offense statutes in New York fail to properly hold offenders accountable and fail to adequately protect victims".

The fate of the other accusations against Cuomo was not immediately known.

Aside from its probe on Cuomo's alleged sexual misdeeds, the New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee also found that the former governor had used state resources to support a multi-million dollar book project and was not transparent about nursing home COVID deaths on his watch.