Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-NY, has filed retirement papers with the state days before he is scheduled to step down from his position following a barrage of sexual harassment allegations.
The retirement paperwork would allow the disgraced governor to receive annual lifetime pension from the state amounting to $50,000.
"The governor just filed his application for service retirement. The date of retirement is Sept. 1, 2021," a spokesperson for the governor's office said Tuesday, according to the New York Post.
Lifetime Pension
Under the current U.S. law, Cuomo is still entitled to his pension despite resigning because of alleged misconduct. Pension forfeiture only occurs to people who have been convicted of felony.
Cuomo's filing came a week after investigators found that he had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, which included current and former staff members.
According to an investigative report released by state Attorney General Letita James on Aug. 3, had subjected 11 women to unwanted kisses. He had also touched their breasts or buttocks inappropriately.
The report also accused Cuomo of making insinuating remarks about their looks and sex lives, which led to a work environment that was "rife with fear."
The 165-page report is the culmination of a five-month investigation that included interviews with 179 witnesses and the accumulation of tens of thousands of documents. It also highlights previously unreported sexual harassment allegations, including that from a state trooper who has been assigned to the New York Democrat's security detail.
Read Also: Cuomo's Executive Assistant Speaks Out About the Governor's Alleged Sexual Harassment Crimes
"The independent investigation found that Governor Cuomo harassed multiple women, many of whom were young women, by engaging in unwanted groping, kisses, hugging, and by making inappropriate comments," Attorney General James said during a news conference in Manhattan, according to The New York Times. "I believe these women."
Sexual Harassment Allegations
Cuomo, 63, has since denied accusations thrown against him in a 14-minute pre-recorded statement. During his response, he denied most of the report's findings and reiterated that he had never touched anyone inappropriately.
During his 14-minute soliloquy, the governor slammed the investigative report, claiming the results were "politically motivated" and declared that the truth was far different from what was being portrayed.
Cuomo later filed for resignation as a chorus of calls for him to resign continued to grow, adding to its ranks President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On Monday, CNN's Chris Cuomo, the governor's brother, revealed that he also urged his brother to step down.
Cuomo, who is scheduled to step down from office on Aug. 24, on Tuesday issued five pardons and commuted five sentences. The list included:
Nehru Gumbs, 36, who was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon and assault when he was still 18 in 2005
Jon-Adrian Velasquez, 45, who was convicted of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and robbery in 1999.
George Martinez, 60, who was convicted of burglary, attempted burglary and criminal possession of stolen property. He has served 15 years of his 17-and-a-half-year-to-life sentence
Dontie Mitchell, 41, who was convicted of first-degree Robbery, Criminal Use of a Firearm, and Attempt to Knowingly Make/Possess Dangerous Contraband in Prison, two counts of first-degree Attempted Robbery, two counts of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and fourth-degree Grand Larceny.
Richard Chalk, 63, who was convicted of two counts of second-degree Murder, two counts of first-degree Robbery, two counts of first-degree Burglary, and second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon in 1988
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