(PresidentialWire.com)- The last of the five criminal cases brought against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been dropped.
On Monday, Oswego County District Attorney Gregory Oakes announced that after reviewing the evidence and “applicable law,” the DA’s office determined there wasn’t “a sufficient legal basis to bring criminal charges” against the disgraced former governor just based on the “allegations of unwanted physical contact made by Virginia Limmiatis.”
However, Oakes was clear that the decision shouldn’t be interpreted as the DA’s office casting doubt on Limmiatis’ “character or credibility.” Instead, the decision was based on “whether the People can establish a legally sufficient case under controlling precedent.”
Virginia Limmiatis, an employee with National Grid in Syracuse, accused Cuomo of touching her chest during a conversation while both were attending a May 2017 event in Oswego County.
According to the August 3, 2021 report released by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Limmiatis said she came forward after hearing the governor’s March 2021 remarks denying he ever inappropriately touched anyone.
In an interview with the New York Post, Oakes said he believes Limmiatis’ account and his decision not to prosecute the case is not in any way an exoneration of Andrew Cuomo.
Oakes said after watching Limmiatis’ prior testimony and in his discussions with her, he found her “reliable and reasonable” and motivated by a “desire to do the right thing.” He said despite knowing that Cuomo would “use his bully pulpit” to try to discredit her and deny her allegations, Limmiatis was still willing to step forward.
In a statement after Oakes dropped the case, Limmiatis said after the 2017 incident, she immediately told several people what Cuomo had done. She said she never publicly reported the incident because she feared what the Governor would do if she did.
Limmiatis’ attorney Mariann Wang said in a statement on Monday that Oakes’ decision doesn’t mean Andrew Cuomo acted lawfully, noting that not every violation of the law will result in prosecution.
District Attorneys from Nassau, Westchester, Albany, and Manhattan also opened investigations into Cuomo after AG James released her findings. And like Oswego County, those investigations were all dropped.
