Allegation That Governor Cuomo Groped Aide Reportedly Referred to Albany Police

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Police in Albany are investigating the allegation that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) grouped an aide in 2020, officials said Thursday.

A spokesman for the department said in a statement to The New York Times that city police had not received a formal complaint from the alleged victim, but that the referral came from state police. Investigators discovered the aide, who has not been named, as part of an investigation into allegations made against Cuomo by five other women, including four who worked for him.

The woman reportedly told investigators that Cuomo summoned her to the second floor of his executive mansion in Albany “when he closed the door and allegedly reached under her blouse and began to fondle her.” The allegation came amid an investigation ordered by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) after the wave of accusations against Cuomo began emerging last month.

The governor’s acting counsel, Beth Garvey, brushed off the referral as a routine matter. “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. In this case, the person is represented by counsel and when counsel confirmed the client did not want to make a report, the state notified the police department and gave them the attorney’s information.”

Cuomo has denied the allegation. “I have never done anything like this,” Cuomo said in a statement this week. “I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney general’s report.”