NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo could face misdemeanor charges if complaint is substantiated, sheriff says

ALBANY, N.Y. — A criminal investigation into New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo could lead to multiple misdemeanor charges if law enforcement can substantiate a complaint accusing the governor of groping an aide in the Executive Mansion, according to the sheriff leading the probe.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, a Democrat, addressed the media Saturday, two days after one of Cuomo's executive assistants formally filed a criminal complaint claiming the embattled governor reached under her blouse and cupped her breast late last year.

Apple vowed to complete a full and fair investigation that is not affected by Cuomo's stature as governor.

"We're not going to rush this because of who he is, and we're not going to delay this because of who he is," Apple said. "We're going to conduct a very comprehensive investigation as my investigators and my staff always do."

The sheriff's office and the Albany County District Attorney's Office are working together jointly on the investigation, which comes as Cuomo tries to ward off calls for his impeachment or resignation for a bevy of sexual harassment claims.

Cuomo and his attorneys have denied the alleged groping incident in part by claiming it defies logic.

"He is 63 years old. He has spent 40 years in public life," Rita Glavin, one of Cuomo's private attorneys, said during a news conference Friday. "And for him to all of a sudden be accused of sexual assault of an executive assistant that he really doesn't know, it doesn't pass muster."

On Tuesday, Attorney General Letitia James' office released a report by a pair of investigators that concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women — including nine current or former state employees — in the past seven years.

The report, which was crafted by private attorneys Joon Kim and Anne Clark, found Cuomo violated several state and federal harassment laws along the way.

But the attorney general's investigation was civil in nature, leaving it up to local prosecutors to take up any potential criminal conduct.

On Thursday, a woman identified as "Executive Assistant #1" in the report filed an official criminal complaint with the Albany County Sheriff's Office.

In the report released Tuesday and an interview with the Times Union of Albany earlier this year, the woman claimed she was summoned to the Executive Mansion — where Cuomo lives in Albany — to assist with an issue. While there, she claims Cuomo hugged her before reaching under her shirt and cupping her breast over her bra.

"I mean it was — he was like cupping my breast," the executive assistant told the attorney general's investigators. "He cupped my breast. I have to tell you it was — at the moment I was in such shock."

If the Albany County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office find the complaint to be credible after investigation, Cuomo could potentially be arrested and face at least one misdemeanor charge — and possibly multiple charges, Apple said.

"Obviously, yes, it could lead to an arrest," Apple said at the news conference Saturday, which was broadcast by Spectrum News.

The sheriff said the woman and her attorney, Brian Premo, filed the complaint at the sheriff's office Thursday afternoon. The process took about an hour, much of which consisted of an explanation of the criminal investigation process and what comes next, Apple said.

"At some point, we will have our victim back in for probably a very lengthy interview, maybe a series of interviews," he said. "And at that point, depending on the facts and circumstances, we'll sit down with the district attorney and make a decision to move forward with a criminal charge."

Fabien Levy, James' press secretary, said the Attorney General's Office will cooperate with the criminal investigation.

"We will cooperate fully with the Albany sheriff and turn over all evidence related to this complainant," Levy said in a statement. "Similarly, we will cooperate with all law-enforcement agencies, as appropriate."

More: Woman who alleges Cuomo groped her in Executive Mansion files criminal complaint in Albany

More: Andrew Cuomo: A timeline of the New York governor's life and political career

Jon Campbell is the New York State Team editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Cuomo complaint could lead to misdemeanor charges, sheriff says