The Manhattan District Legal professional's Workplace has dropped the probe into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing properties.
AP Picture/Mary Altaffer
The Manhattan district legal professional’s workplace has dropped a probe into Andrew Cuomo over allegations he mishandled nursing properties through the preliminary coronavirus outbreak, the ex-governor’s lawyer mentioned Monday.
Cuomo’s spokesman forwarded a press release from Elkan Abramowitz, an legal professional who had repped the governor’s workplace underneath Cuomo.
“I used to be contacted right now by the top of the Elder Care Unit from the Manhattan District Legal professional’s Workplace who knowledgeable me they've closed its investigation involving the Government Chamber and nursing properties,” Abramowitz mentioned.
“I used to be advised that after an intensive investigation — as we've got mentioned all alongside — there was no proof to counsel that any legal guidelines have been damaged.”
The Submit reported final August that the state Well being Division had retained an out of doors legislation agency to cope with inquiries concerning nursing residence selections from the Manhattan DA’s Workplace in addition to state Legal professional Common Letitia James and the US Legal professional for the Japanese District.
The Manhattan prosecutor’s workplace, now headed by new DA Alvin Bragg, declined remark. The probe was initiated by ex-DA Cyrus Vance Jr., whose time period ended New 12 months’s Eve, and it was underneath Vance that the investigation was quashed final Thursday, a supply advised The Submit.
Cuomo has confronted fierce criticism for a March 25, 2020, directive by his Well being Division that ordered nursing properties to confess contaminated sufferers being discharged from hospitals, regardless of the services’ weak populations. Unbiased studies claimed the coverage triggered extra deaths.
And phrase that Bragg has dropped the case in opposition to Cuomo infuriated members of the family who misplaced family members to COVID-19 whereas in long-term care services.
“Letting Cuomo off the hook is a nasty technique to begin 2022,” mentioned Vivian Zayas, co-founder of Voices For Seniors, whose mom, Ana Martinez, died of COVID whereas in a nursing rehab facility.
“Fifteen thousand folks misplaced their lives in nursing properties. It doesn’t seem like prosecutors are taking this significantly. They’re principally defending Cuomo.
“We're dissatisfied in our judicial system.”
And Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens) mentioned Cuomo isn’t out of the woods but.
Kim, chairman of the Meeting Growing older Committee, mentioned he thought of the continued probes by federal prosecutors and AG James extra severe threats to Cuomo than the Manhattan DA’s inquiry.
“Cuomo used his govt energy to suppress nursing residence deaths whereas chasing a $5.1 million e-book deal. Ultimately the reality will come out,” Kim mentioned.
The feds’ probe continues to be inspecting the Cuomo administration’s actions regarding the nursing properties and different long-term care services after hundreds of their residents died from COVID-19.
The FBI additionally interviewed state officers about Cuomo’s $5.1 million profit-making pandemic e-book — “American Disaster: Management Classes from the COVID-19 Pandemic” — negotiated and revealed whereas he was accused of protecting up the entire nursing residence loss of life toll from the pandemic.
The probes by the feds and the AG’s workplace are nonetheless lively.
Final February, The Submit completely revealed that then-top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa privately acknowledged throughout a video convention with Democratic state lawmakers that administration officers stonewalled them in regards to the extent of nursing residence deaths on account of a possible investigation by the Justice Division.
That report sparked the Manhattan DA probe.
A stinging report launched final January by James concluded that Cuomo undercounted coronavirus-linked nursing residence deaths by 50 p.c.
Cuomo resigned in August after a devastating report by James’ workplace discovered that the ex-governor had mistreated or harassed a slew of girls — together with authorities staffers. He denied wrongdoing however stepped down whereas dealing with impeachment.
However Cuomo is off the hook for planting undesirable kisses on a feminine state trooper and a random lady throughout separate incidents whereas he was in workplace, the Westchester County district legal professional reported final week.
That announcement got here every week after appearing Nassau DA Joyce Smith mentioned “credible” and “deeply troubling” allegations that Cuomo ran his hand throughout the trooper’s stomach at Lengthy Island’s Belmont Park in 2019 have been additionally “not felony underneath New York legislation.”
At the very least three different district attorneys — in Albany, Manhattan and Oswego counties — additionally launched investigations after James’ report accused Cuomo of sexually harassing 11 girls, together with 9 present or former state employees, throughout his two-plus phrases as governor.
In October, Cuomo, 64, was charged with forcible touching, a misdemeanor, for allegedly groping the left breast of then-aide Brittany Commisso, 33, inside Albany’s Government Mansion, the governor’s official residence, on Dec. 7, 2020.
Cuomo, who mentioned the incident by no means occurred, is scheduled to be arraigned in Albany Metropolis Court docket on Friday.
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