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- A criminal complaint against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been filed, according to reports.
- The local sheriff's and police clerk's offices would not confirm to Insider whether it had been filed.
- The Albany Times-Union reports that it was filed "erroneously" without the consent of the accuser.
A criminal complaint has been filed against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over an alleged forcible touching incident at the governor's mansion, according to The New York Times and other outlets, citing a spokesperson for the state court system.
The complaint was filed Thursday in Albany City Court, according to the Office of Court Administration.
"A misdemeanor complaint was filed in Albany City Court against the former governor this afternoon," spokesperson Lucian Chalfen told The Times.
The summons charging Cuomo with misdemeanor forcible touching was "prematurely issued" by the city court, according to the Albany Times-Union, who reported that it was issued without the consent of the accuser, Brittany Commisso, or her attorney.
Officials at the Albany County Sheriff's office and the Albany City Court would not confirm to Insider that the complaint had been filed in calls made shortly after 3 p.m.
Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey obtained a copy of the complaint, which has yet to be given to Cuomo, according to the Times-Union.
-Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 28, 2021
Cuomo is supposed to appear in Albany City Court on Nov. 17, according to the Times-Union.
News of the charges was first reported by Akash Mehta of New York Focus, an independent digital news site launched in Oct. 2020.
Commisso, who began working in the governor's office in 2017 and came forward publicly back in August, has been cooperating with investigators and planned on moving forward with criminal charges, according to multiple law enforcement sources who spoke with the TU.
Her account and those of 10 other women were found to be credible in an independent investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, detailed in a 165-page report from August.
Cuomo has denied forcibly touching anyone, and his team has continued to dispute the AG report even after he resigned several days after the report came out.
Gov. Kathy Hochul took over after serving as Cuomo's lieutenant governor.