Aide who accused New York Governor Cuomo of groping her files criminal complaint

A former employee who accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of groping her in the Executive Mansion in Albany has filed a criminal complaint with the Albany County sheriff's department, the department said on Friday.

The woman, whose name has not been made public, was an executive assistant who told state investigators that Cuomo groped her breast on one occasion. It is the gravest of the sexual harassment allegations faced by Cuomo, whose once ascendant political career as part of one of the country's most powerful Democratic Party families is on the brink of collapse.

The former aide was one of at least 11 women who state investigators this week said were sexually harassed by Cuomo, a Democrat. The governor is resisting widespread calls to resign, including from U.S. President Joe Biden, and faces impeachment by state lawmakers.

At a news briefing on Friday, lawyers defending Cuomo and his office argued that the investigation was biased from the start.

"There has been no open-minded fact-finding in this case," said Rita Glavin, a lawyer representing Cuomo. "The investigation was conducted to support a predetermined narrative."