(WETM) — Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been charged with forcible touching, a misdemeanor in New York, according to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a complaint released by the sheriff’s office, Cuomo “did intentionally and for no legitimate purpose, forcible place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim (redacted) and onto her intimate body part.”
‘Sex crime’ misdemeanor complaint filed against Cuomo
The complaint continues saying Cuomo touched the victim’s left breast “for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires.”
New York law defines forcible touching as
A person is guilty of forcible touching when such person intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose:
1. forcibly touches the sexual or other intimate parts of another person for the purpose of degrading or abusing such person, or for the purpose of gratifying the actor’s sexual desire; or
2. subjects another person to sexual contact for the purpose of gratifying the actor’s sexual desire and with intent to degrade or abuse such other person while such other person is a passenger on a bus, train, or subway car operated by any transit agency, authority or company, public or private, whose operation is authorized by New York state or any of its political subdivisions.
For the purposes of this section, forcible touching includes squeezing, grabbing or pinching.
Forcible touching is a class A misdemeanor.
The charge carries the maximum penalty of one year in jail with the possibility of probation for first-time offenders. While not required under law, unless the victim is under the age of 18, someone convicted for forcible touching may be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of their life.