Cuomo attorney seeks investigation into Albany County Sheriff’s Office on allegations of leaks related to dropped groping charge

ALBANY — Former governor Andrew Cuomo’s attorney is calling on the State Police and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to probe leaks related to since-dropped groping charges brought against him by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

Cuomo lawyer Rita Glavin submitted a formal request Wednesday to New York State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg demanding an investigation into Albany Sheriff Craig Apple, accusing him of unlawfully leaking grand jury information to reporters.

“This case was rotten to the core, reeked of politics, and it’s indisputable that someone in that Cowboy Sheriff’s Office committed a felony and illegally leaked grand jury information,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. “The people of this state deserve answers and we will not stop until they get them.”

Glavin previously outlined similar allegations late last year in a letter to Attorney General Letitia James seeking an independent probe into Apple’s alleged conduct.

The Albany Sheriff’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

A misdemeanor criminal complaint was filed against Cuomo last October following accusations that he forcibly groped former staffer Brittany Commisso in his office at the Executive Mansion.

The charges against Cuomo, who resigned from office last year following multiple sexual harassment allegations and an impending impeachment, were dropped in January.

Albany District Attorney David Soares said he found the allegations credible, but did not believe he would be able to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury.

Prosecutors in Manhattan, Oswego, Westchester and Nassau Counties similarly declined to prosecute Cuomo even though they all said they found his alleged victims to be credible.

Cuomo has maintained his innocence since stepping down and began airing television ads earlier this year in an attempt to restore his reputation and clear his name.

Glavin alleges that Apple, or someone in his office, leaked grand jury information relating to the criminal case against Cuomo last August. Charges were filed in October by Apple’s office without Soares’ knowledge.

“To ignore this breach and not criminally investigate this conduct sends the wrong message that law enforcement officials are above the law when it comes breaching grand jury secrecy,” she wrote in a letter released on Wednesday.

Both Bragg’s office and a spokesman for the State Police declined to comment on the request.