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Misdemeanor complaint in ‘sex crime’ case against Andrew Cuomo
filed in NY court, likely to be charged with ‘forcible touching’
28 Oct, 2021 20:41
A spokesperson for Albany Criminal Court in New York has confirmed that a misdemeanor complaint has been filed against former governor Andrew Cuomo, for alleged groping of a former aide.
The name of the alleged victim and details about the case were not revealed by the court clerk who first leaked news of the potential charges to media outlet New York Focus.
According to a separate Times Union report, sources in the Albany Court system say the charges were initially issued “erroneously” after the sheriff’s office shared the findings of its investigation with the court. The charges had purportedly been prematurely filed, as the victim and her attorney had not yet been contacted.
The report explained that a lead investigator in the case had met with a court official to receive “guidance” on whether a complaint was being filed. It’s unclear what occurred after this meeting, or if charges will be officially announced in the near future.
Sources have told the New York Post that Cuomo should be expecting charges, however, and that a misdemeanor complaint involving the former governor has “been filed” in court. The paper said Cuomo will likely be arrested and charged next week.
“As this is a sex crime, a redacted complaint will be available shortly,” Office of Court Administration spokesman Lucian Chalfen told the Post. Reports indicate Cuomo could be facing a ‘forcible touching’ charge, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
According to the Post, the alleged victim in this case is former aide Brittany Commisso, who accused the governor of unwanted touching after she began working for him in 2017.
Numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assault have been made against Cuomo – one of many controversies that led the once-popular Democrat to resign from office in August.
News of Cuomo potentially facing legal consequences for his alleged actions – all of which he denies – had his many critics celebrating on social media. Among them was Fox News’ Janice Dean, one of the most vocal opponents of Cuomo’s administration, having lost both of her in-laws to Covid-19 in New York nursing homes.
The then-governor was accused of hiding nursing-home deaths, following a controversial order from his administration early in the pandemic that forced facilities to accept Covid-positive patients.
Among other investigations faced by Cuomo is a probe into his hugely controversial book deal, which was worth millions. After the book was released in the fall of 2020, he was accused of having used state resources and staff to work on the publication for free.
‘He tried to kiss & touch me’: US football bosses launch investigation
after ex-player claims coach wanted to solicit sex from her
30 Oct, 2021 13:14
Hubert Busby, pictured coaching Jamaica, has denied allegations made against him by a former player © Busby ZUMA Wire via Legion Media
Major League Soccer has launched an investigation after a female former player alleged that the Jamaica women's national team coach acted inappropriately towards her during his time in charge of a club side.
Ex-Vancouver Whitecaps Malloree Enoch has claimed that Hubert Busby promised to sign her as a player after she initially went for an administrative role as part of an alleged period of abusive behavior between 2010 and 2011.
The midfielder alleged that Busby showered her with Adidas equipment, flew her across the US on multiple occasions to attend events with him, took her to restaurants one-on-one and made sexual advances towards her.
"He was on all fours fully on the bed," Enoch told the Guardian of one alleged incident. "He was definitely aroused. He tried to kiss and touch me.
"The light was not on but I don’t think he had his shirt on. I had to negotiate to get him off the bed. I told him I wasn’t interested."
Enoch said that she raised her concerns with the team's soccer development director, Dan Lenarduzzi, after signing in 2011, yet no action was immediately taken.
According to her, this resulted in a group of players lodging their concerns about Busby and their overall treatment to management.
Busby's contract expired in October 2011, but his career has gone from strength to strength, being appointed Jamaica's head coach in January last year after first serving as an assistant.
The Jamaican Football Federation said it is aware of the allegation and plans to meet imminently with Busby, who has denied all of the allegations.
The MLS has also released a statement announcing a review of "internal processes and overall culture at the time."
The club plans to publicly release its findings and produce "recommendations on preventative measures to ensure that all players and staff under the Whitecaps organization umbrella work in a safe environment, free of all forms of harassment and fear of retaliation."
Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster released a statement claiming that the club appointed an independent ombudsperson to lead an investigation at the end of the 2011 season, leading to Busby's departure before the end of his contract.
"We have since learned that the investigation did not reveal certain allegations that were disclosed this week," Schuster said.
"Our communication with players, staff and the soccer community as to the reasons for Busby's departure was also inadequate. We should have done better, and for that we are deeply sorry."
There have also been reports that multiple members of the Whitecaps leadership team are being placed on administrative leave in relation to the alleged incident.
The allegations aren't the first made against an ex-manager of the Canadian club's women's team.
In 2019, a former Whitecaps player wrote a blog post detailing incidents of abuse stretching back to 2008 manager Bob Birarda, who once led the Canadian women's U20 national team.
In December last year, Birarda was charged with six counts of sexual exploitation, two counts of sexual assault and one count of child luring.
Fans engaged in a string of protests after the allegations surfaced, with the Whitecaps' owners issuing an apology for any harm the players experienced.
David Tweed was 'a bully and paedophile…
he was no gentleman', victim says
Hugh Jordan
October 31 2021 10:20 AM
Former Ireland rugby international and hardline unionist hero David Tweed, who died in a motorbike accident this week, has been branded a "bully and a paedophile".
Those are the damning words of his victim Amanda Brown, whose evidence against him in court nine years ago landed Tweed an eight-year sentence on child sex-abuse charges.
And although he was released on appeal four years later, the girl he abused has broken her silence, describing him as a danger to children.
Now, 41-year-old mum-of-one, Amanda Brown has spoken to the Sunday World, hours after it emerged the one-time Lansdowne Road hero had been killed in a collision while driving his motorbike in north Antrim.
Father-of-four Tweed - who would have turned 63 in less than a fortnight - died at the scene following a crash on Thursday at the junction of Whitepark Road and Tully Road, near Bushmills.
Since then, tributes have flooded in from Tweed's colleagues and friends from the worlds of rugby, unionism and the Orange Order.
David Tweed with Ian Paisley
And on Friday, his family said in a statement: "David will be greatly missed by his family and friends, as well as the wider community."
Five years ago, Tweed walked from court a free man after the Court of Appeal quashed an eight-year sentence he received in 2012.
Man Mountain Tweed was convicted in court of a catalogue of sex crimes against two young girls. He had served just four years behind bars.
But after learning of his death, Amanda Brown - who once testified in court against him - spoke out, saying of the four-times capped Ireland rugby international: "He wasn't a gentleman. He was a bully and a paedophile.
"While most people may mean well, these comments stick in my throat, because to me he wasn't someone who should be spoke highly of. I have spent a lot of time dealing with my trauma and getting over the PTSD I suffered as a result of the sexual abuse and domestic violence.
"So my overall takeaway from learning of the passing of Davy Tweed is that he can no longer hurt anyone else."
After complaining to police, Amanda had to move from her Ballymoney home to live in another part of Northern Ireland because of the daily intimidation directed at her by the 6ft 5in former international.
Yesterday, she took time out to reflect on the emotions sparked by the sudden passing of the man who stole her childhood innocence.
Addressing Sunday World readers directly, she said: "Davy Tweed to a lot of you is a political activist, a rugby hero, a councillor. But to me, he was my abuser. He ruined my childhood. He was very physically abusive towards my mum and he sexually abused me.
"My earliest clear memory was from around eight. I also have earlier memories of waking with a feeling of being pinned down and terrified.
"I lived with this abuse. I learned how to hide it all from everyone around me. I did this out of fear of what would happen if people knew."
Amanda also explained how she finally found the courage to tell someone about the suffering she endured as a child.
"Fast forward a lot of years when the pain of the trauma became too much as I heard of more and more people he had abused. The guilt I carried was so much that I spoke out.
"I went to the police. The evidence I gave was considered strong enough in the eyes of the CPS to take to court and get a conviction.
"He would stand outside my place of work at the end of the night and glare over at me. So I left my job and moved to Belfast, leaving friends and family behind."
And Amanda recalled the difficulty of facing up to strict standards of evidence in sex abuse cases.
"I was in the dock every day for the first week being questioned by his defence team...
"At one stage in the case he realised I was telling the truth. His demeanour towards me changed. It was in that moment I felt I'd won."
Amanda said she would never forget the moment she learned her abuser had been found guilty.
"To get 13 out of 14 counts of sex abuse against a minor was almost unbelievable... My motivation for going to the police was to stop him from hurting anyone else. To hear that he had been given an eight-year sentence with four years served time and would be on the Sex Offenders Register, I felt as though I had accomplished my goal and I could begin to heal."
But Amanda also recalled her devastation when she learned Tweed's case in the Court of Appeal had been upheld and he had been acquitted.
"I didn't understand, there was no new evidence. He got out on the 'bad character' clause. The technicality was in how the judge addressed the jury in relation to this."
She also addressed the plaudits thrown at Tweed since his death.
She said: "I sit reading comments about how he was 'such a gentleman' and post from his 'Orange' brethren speaking so highly of him.
"Politicians and people from the Church are singing his praises for his politics and sports 'heroism'...
"I feel sorry for people who think they know Davy Tweed. They have forgotten about what he actually is."
