The Albany County Sheriff insisted Friday that former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sexual assault charge is not a political ploy by Attorn...
The Albany County Sheriff insisted Friday that former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sexual assault charge is not a political ploy by Attorney General Letitia James, despite it being released on the same day as she announced her own run for governor.
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple called it 'ridiculous' to insinuate that the police department was doing a 'political hit job' and ensured the public they had 'overwhelming evidence,' as he announced Cuomo will have to get a mug shot.
'How is the Albany County Sheriff doing a political hit job? That is ridiculous,' Apple said during a press conference on Friday.
'We have an overwhelming amount of evidence, we have a victim who has been cooperating fully every day, every step of the way. As far as conviction, that's going to be down to the jury, the judge… I feel very confident that the DA is going to prosecute this. We met our burden as far as probable cause and we have filed.'
James, 62, announced her run for governor in 2022 earlier on Friday.
'New Yorkers need a governor who isn't afraid to stand up to powerful interests on behalf of the vulnerable,' she said.
'Throughout my career, I've taken on big forces and New Yorkers know I will never back down when it comes to fighting for them. Today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for governor of New York so we can bring transformational change that uplifts all New Yorkers.'
Andrew Cuomo, 63, has been with charged with sexual assault by the Albany County Sheriff's Office. He denies the claims and his lawyer Rita Glavin said 'timing of the charge' is 'highly suspect' as it was announced on the same day New York Attorney General Letitia James announced she was running for Governor
James, 62, announced she will be running for governor in 2022. She said 'New Yorkers need a governor who isn't afraid to stand up to powerful interests on behalf of the vulnerable'
Apple defended his decision to file a criminal complaint against Cuomo, 63, without consulting prosecutors or informing the accuser, a woman who says she was groped by the Democrat last year.
'We didn't want everybody to know exactly what we were doing because we didn't want all this, the circus,' Craig said in an interview with radio host Paul Vandenburgh of Albany's Talk 1300.
Apple also said he did not intend for the criminal charges to become public so soon, but he said the case should go forward.
A spokesman for the former governor said Thursday's surprise developments were evidence that the case is politically motivated.
'In an unprecedented move, Craig Apple 'erroneously' filed misdemeanor charges against former Governor Cuomo without notification or authorization of the district attorney or the complainant,' Rich Azzopardi said.
'It seemed the only person who was notified, and had a statement ready to go, was Tish James,' he said, referring to the state's attorney general, who oversaw a civil investigation into Cuomo's conduct with women, but was not involved in the sheriff's criminal probe.
The Albany County District Attorney's office said after the charge was filed that it had not been informed ahead of time. It has been conducting its own investigation and was expected to take the lead on a decision about whether to prosecute.
Rita Glavin, Cuomo's attorney, said in a statement: 'The timing of this charge, on the eve of Tish James announcing her run for Governor, is highly suspect and should give all of us pause that the heavy hand of politics is behind this decision.
'We expect clar-headed people will make better decisions going forward, but should this case move forward we are prepared to vigorously defend the Governor and challenge every aspect of the specious, inconsistent and uncorroborated allegations made against him.'
Cuomo continues to deny the claims that he assaulted Brittany Commisso, 33.
James (left) and Cuomo (right in black) with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio (behind) in 2014
'The Governor did not assault Ms. Commisso,' Glavin's statement opened.
Apple said that Cuomo will be expected to appear in court on November 17. He will be arrested sometime before then.
'This is a solid case…we are moving forward,' Apple said. 'He will be arraigned, he will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed.'
'I don't have a goal,' he said at the press conference. 'My goal isn't to throw Andrew Cuomo in jail.
'Again, we investigated the complaint, we have a victim, and, and the goal is for her to seek justice. That's exactly what she's doing. She's been with us every step of the way.
'At the end of the day, we have a victim, and our job is to take the complaint investigated and move forward. And that's what we've done.'
He made clear, though, that if Cuomo fails to appear in court, he will have a 'criminal arrest warrant issued.'
The sheriff also admitted that his office did consult AG James' report into Cuomo as part of their investigation, but said he had not spoken to her directly about the charge.
'We have the facts of the investigation and the criminal summons was issued. So on November 17th, that individual will have to answer to that charge,' said Craig, referring to Cuomo and the date he has been ordered to appear in court.
The one-page complaint, filed in Albany City Court, accuses Cuomo of committing the crime of forcible touching by putting his hand under a woman's shirt on December 7, 2020.
The complaint did not name the woman, but she has identified herself as Brittany Commisso, who worked as one of Cuomo's executive assistants before his resignation amid sexual harassment allegations in August.
Cuomo will have to appear in court on November 17 and will be arrested sometime prior to that, Apple said at a press conference on Friday. If he fails to appear in court, he will have a criminal arrest warrant issued for him
Commisso's lawyer, Brian Premo, said he had also expected the district attorney's office to handle the case.
'I have no doubt that the sheriff's investigators did a thorough job,' Premo told Talk 1300. 'I have no doubt that they believe in their case. I have no issue with any of that. It's just that this is a politically charged matter, right? So I think it's only prudent to allow the prosecutorial authority to have a say in how the investigation is conducted and whether there's a prosecution, right?'
Craig said it was 'disheartening' that the court system made the criminal complaint public immediately, something he described as a 'leak,' although such court filings are public in New York and are routinely made available to reporters.
As for the district attorney's office, Craig said they did 'separate investigations.'
'I'm not sure what the district attorney's investigation has as of this point,' he said.
Commisso accused Cuomo of groping her when they were alone in an office at the governor's mansion in Albany. Cuomo has denied the allegations.
Forcible touching is a misdemeanor in New York, punishable by up to a year in jail, though many cases for first-time offenders are resolved with probation or a shorter jail sentence.
Cuomo could be facing up to a year in prison if convicted.
No comments