ALBANY, N.Y. — Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not face criminal charges for alleged sexual harassment that took place in Westchester County, the local district attorney announced on Tuesday.
The investigation into Cuomo’s conduct in the county he once called home found credible evidence that the incidents — kisses on the cheek of an on-duty female state trooper and of a school employee without consent at a public event in the city of White Plains — did occur, District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement.
“However, in both instances, my Office has determined that, although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and the conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York,” Rocah said.
This is the second criminal investigation against the former governor to conclude without charges. The Nassau County district attorney announced last week that harassment allegations against Cuomo in that jurisdiction would not lead to a criminal case, although the prosecutor called the allegations “credible” and “deeply troubling.”
Cuomo resigned in August after the release of a report by state Attorney General Tish James concluding that he had harassed 11 women.
Rocah was looking into an incident involving a kiss on the trooper’s cheek at the home Cuomo shared with his then-girlfriend, Sandra Lee, in the Westchester town of Mount Kisco. Rocah also investigated the allegation of a school employee who came forward about a kiss on the cheek she did not agree to after Cuomo used a photo of the incident in a montage to defend what he said was his habitual greeting.
Outgoing Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance also launched a criminal investigation into Cuomo’s conduct in August. Meanwhile, the Albany County sheriff, Craig D. Apple, filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo over an allegation of forcible touching in the Executive Mansion, but the arraignment has been postponed pending an investigation by the county district attorney, David Soares.
