‘Groping’ charges against Andrew Cuomo to be dropped

Cuomo was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday for allegations of groping former staffer Brittany Commisso in November of 2020.

"Although Commisso is said to have wanted to move forward with the case, she was told by prosecutors on Monday that the charges will be dropped because of the matter in which the criminal complaint was filed," wrote the Daily Mail.

Details into the missteps taken by prosecutors have not been shared.

Commisso alleges that Cuomo had pulled her into a hug at the Governor’s mansion, reaching under her blouse and grabbing her breast in the process.

Commisso's report was included in Attorney General Letitia James' report outlining the 11 sexual harassment allegations against the former governor, leading to Cuomo's resignation in August.

Her allegations were also included in the report after the complaint was filed by Albany Sheriff Craig Apple's office in August 2021.

The complaint alleges that the former governor "intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part."

Cuomo has maintained that the allegations are false, reportedly calling them a "a hit-job by James to get him out of her way so she could make a run for the governorship," according to the Daily Mail.

Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin has noted that Commisso's "story changed over time."

the Albany County sheriff's office filed a misdemeanor groping complaint against Cuomo in October, but the district attorney asked a judge a week later for more time to evaluate the evidence.

"The DA said that the sheriff's one-page criminal complaint, based on Commisso's allegations were "potentially defective," wrote the Daily Mail.

Cuomo has seen numerous charges be dropped against his in recent days.

Last week, criminal charges were dropped against Cuomo stemming from allegations from two women, one of which was a state trooper, that said he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks.

According to the report, the state trooper said that at an event at Belmont Park racetrack in September 2019, "Cuomo ran the palm of his left hand across her abdomen, to her belly button and then to her right hip, where she kept her gun, while she held a door open for him as he left an event at Belmont Park on September 23, 2019," according to the Daily Mail.

The trooper, a member of Cuomo's security detail, told James' investigators that Cuomo's conduct had made her feel "completely violated because to me, like that's between my chest and my privates."

An investigation found the allegations against Cuomo "credible, deeply troubling but not criminal under New York law."

The second woman alleged that Cuomo had greeted her by pulling her towards him by the arm and planting a kiss on her cheek without asking permission.

"I smiled nervously afterward. I had to endure comments from people in attendance," the woman, Susan Iannucci, told reporters at a news conference in August.

On Monday, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced that it would not be filing criminal charges against the former governor in connection to his handling of COVID-19 deaths in New York, especially within nursing homes.

"I was contacted today by the head of the Elder Care Unit from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office who informed me they have closed its investigation involving the Executive Chamber and nursing homes," attorney Elkan Abramowitz said in a statement.

"I was told that after a thorough investigation - as we have said all along - there was no evidence to suggest that any laws were broken," Abramowitz continued.

State lawmakers said in November that Cuomo was "not fully transparent" on the number of COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes.

Cuomo still faces probes from federal and New York state prosecutors over the 15,500 elderly care home residents killed by COVID-19 under his leadership.