Photos–Cuomo Accuser: ‘I Felt Like I Was Being Manhandled’

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo listens to speakers at Grace Baptist Church, a new pop-up v
Seth Wenig/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Joshua Caplan

A woman from upstate New York said during a Monday afternoon press conference that she felt like she was being “manhandled” as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her cheek.

During a Zoom press conference with her lawyer, Gloria Allred, accuser Sherry Vill alleged that Cuomo’s unwanted touching occurred when the embattled governor visited her home as part of an inspection of flood damage in the Rochester area in 2017.

Vill, who is married, alleged that Cuomo kissed her cheek as members of her family looked on in a “highly sexual manner” and once more outside her home, this time in what she described as a “very aggressive manner.”

“I felt like I was being manhandled,”  she recounted.

At one point in the conference, Vill presented what she called photo evidence of Cuomo kissing her on the check. The pair of photos can be seen below.

The Cuomo administration has not issued a statement addressing Vill’s claims.

A series of women, some of whom worked for Cuomo, have accused him of making inappropriate comments about their looks, giving them unwanted hugs or kisses, or making comments they interpreted as gauging their interest in an affair. Among his accusers are two aides who still work in the governor’s office. One, who has yet to speak publicly, reportedly said the governor groped her at the executive mansion last summer.

Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately but said he’s sorry if he made anyone uncomfortable. The Democratic governor has brushed off widespread calls for his resignation and asked that people wait for the results of an investigation overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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