Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan in a statement Wednesday said her city's police department is prepared to handle any complaint filed against Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the Times Union reported the governor is accused of allegedly groping an aide at the Executive Mansion last year.
For now, no formal complaint as been filed, Sheehan said.
"The act of speaking out after being victimized can be a deeply painful and traumatic experience," said Sheehan, a Democrat. "The young woman referenced in recent reports has the right to determine who she speaks to regarding her experience and when. The Attorney General has commenced an investigation into previous allegations against the Governor, and I have the utmost confidence in her ability to investigate this latest report.
"At this time no criminal complaint involving this matter has been filed by the victim with the Albany Police Department, but Chief Hawkins assured me this evening that APD stands ready to assist any victim who seeks to come forward.”
A female aide to Cuomo has alleged the governor "aggressively groped her" at the Executive Mansion, the Times Union reported Wednesday evening.
The newspaper said they are withholding the woman's identity at this time.
Cuomo has denied these allegations and called the details "gut-wrenching."
"As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this," Cuomo said in a statement released Wednesday. "The details of this report are gut-wrenching. I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the Attorney General's report."
This is now the sixth woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.
In a statement, state Attorney General Letitia James's office seemed to confirm the most recent accusations would be included in the investigation opened to look into sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.
“This team is charged with conducting a thorough and independent investigation of, and the circumstances surrounding, allegations of sexual harassment against Governor Cuomo, including his administration's handling of such matters," James's office said.
The attorney general's office did not comment Wednesday evening on how they would handle the new accusation or what jurisdiction would handle a possible criminal complaint – the offices of Albany County District Attorney David Soares or Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance.
The woman has not yet filed a formal complaint with the governor's office, but alerted a supervisor to the incident, according to the Times Union.