This was the fifth and final case dropped against Cuomo. Oswego County District Attorney Gregory Oakes says he believes Virginia Limmiatis’ account, but “there is not a sufficient legal basis” for charges, according to the Associated Press. Limmiatis is one of several women named in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Cuomo.
“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,” Oakes said in a statement quoted by WSYR-TV.
According to the attorney general’s report, Limmiatis attended an event in upstate New York. She joined a rope line to meet the governor, who then “said something along the lines of, ‘I’m going to say I see a spider on your shoulder,’” before brushing his hands over her shoulder, breast and collarbone.
The report also mentions that Limmiatis approached other event attendees and told them about the occurrence. She later reported it to her boss.
“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 said in a statement released to the AP by her attorney.
However, she did not come forward until Cuomo’s news conference last year when he denied any inappropriate touching, according to the AP.
Oakes said in a statement he found Limmiatis “reliable and reasonable,” the AP reported, and that the decision to drop the case shouldn’t reflect her character.
The former governor tweeted a statement via Rich Assopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, that included images from the 2017 event. The statement refers to the accusations as a “farce.” It reads, “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. This has always been a political hit job to further the attorney general’s own ambitions.”
Earlier this year, an Albany judge dismissed the single criminal charge filed against Cuomo by an aide, according to the AP.
Although Albany County District Attorney David Soares said he believed the aide was credible and there was evidence to support her claims, he thought he wouldn’t be able to meet the burden of proof at a trial.
In his statement, Oakes also said sex offense statutes in New York fail to protect victims, and for justice to be obtained, new legislation must be introduced, according to WNBC.
