ALBANY, N.Y. —
A prosecutor investigating accusations that former New York governor Andrew Cuomo groped a lady requested a decide for extra time to judge the proof, saying the prison criticism filed final week by the native sheriff was “probably faulty,” in accordance with a letter launched Friday.
The request from Albany Nation District Legal professional David Soares throws the high-profile case into additional turmoil every week after Cuomo was charged with committing a misdemeanour intercourse crime. The one-page criticism filed in Albany Metropolis Courtroom by a sheriff’s workplace investigator accuses Cuomo of forcible touching by placing his hand beneath a lady’s shirt on Dec. 7.
Soares, who has stated he was caught off guard by the submitting, stated in a letter to Decide Holly Trexler on Thursday that his workplace had been investigating the matter for a number of months.
“We have been in the course of that investigation when the Sheriff unilaterally and inexplicably filed a compliant on this courtroom,” Soares wrote within the letter. “Sadly, the filings on this matter are probably faulty in that the police-officer-complainant failed to incorporate a sworn assertion by the sufferer such that the Folks might proceed with a prosecution on these papers.”
Soares stated that his workplace nonetheless had tons of of hours of videotaped testimony to evaluate and that it anticipates receiving extra materials.
Cuomo had been summoned to seem for an arraignment Nov. 17, however Soares requested for that to be delay for 60 days.
“The aim of this adjournment is to provide my workplace time to proceed with our impartial and unbiased evaluate,” Soares wrote.
The courtroom granted a delay till Jan. 7, 2022, a spokesperson for Soares stated in an e-mail.
A name was made to Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple looking for remark. There was no fast remark from Cuomo’s spokesperson.
The criticism didn’t title the lady, however she has recognized herself as Brittany Commisso, who labored as one in every of Cuomo’s government assistants earlier than he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations in August.
Forcible touching is a misdemeanour in New York, punishable by as much as a 12 months in jail, although many circumstances for first-time offenders are resolved with probation or a shorter jail sentence.
Cuomo has repeatedly denied touching anybody inappropriately.
He resigned from workplace in August after an investigative report, overseen by New York Legal professional Common Letitia James, concluded that Cuomo has sexually harassed 11 ladies.
Each Cuomo and Commisso gave prolonged interviews to James’ investigators. Soares has stated that a lot of that materials was turned over to his workplace however that it was voluminous and would take time to judge.
