By: Ellen Cans
An upstate district attorney’s office is dropping the last of five criminal investigation cases of sexual harassment allegations against former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo.
As reported by the NY Post, Gregory Oakes, District Attorney for Oswego said Monday that while there isn’t “sufficient legal basis” to bring charges in the case of accuser Virginia Limmiatis, “this decision is not an exoneration.”
“After a thorough review of the available evidence and applicable law, the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office has concluded that there is not a sufficient legal basis to bring criminal charges against former Governor Andrew Cuomo based upon the allegations of unwanted physical contact made by Virginia Limmiatis,” Oakes said Monday. “To be clear, this decision is based solely upon an assessment of the law and whether the People can establish a legally sufficient case under controlling precedent. In no way should this decision be interpreted as casting doubt upon the character or credibility of Ms. Limmiatis, or how harmful the acts she experienced were,” he added.
In a phone interview, Oakes told The Post that he has 20 years of experience with special victim’s cases, and that he believes Limmiatis’ account to be “reliable and reasonable”. “In no way should this be a positive reflection on Andrew Cuomo. This decision is not an exoneration,” he added.
Limmiatis, 55, an employee of National Grid in Syracuse, alleged Cuomo touched her chest during a conservation event in May 2017 in Oswego County. She came forward with her complaint after she heard the governor’s remarks in March that he had never “touched anyone inappropriately.”
“Cuomo not only touched my chest inappropriately, but whispered in my ear afterwards to make up a patently ridiculous excuse to cover up his behavior,” Limmiatis told The Post in a statement Monday in response to the DA dropping criminal charges. “I immediately spoke to multiple people about what Cuomo had done to me, precisely because I was so disturbed and upset by it. At the same time, I did not report him publicly, because he was the Governor, and I was fearful of him,” she said.
The Oswego case has come to a close as did investigations opened by the district attorney’s offices in Nassau, Westchester, Albany and Manhattan following Attorney General Letitia Jame’s bombshell Aug. 3 report, from which she concluded that Cuomo broke “multiple state and federal laws.”
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi reiterated his past criticisms of James’ report, calling it “a Political hit job”. “As now five DAs have verified, none of the accusations in Tish James’ fraud of a report have stood up to any level of real scrutiny”, the spokesman commented.
