Manhattan DA closes probe into nursing home deaths without charging Cuomo: attorney
A report last year revealed that the state underreported deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Manhattan district attorney's office is closing its investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's handling of nursing home COVID-19 deaths without bringing charges against Cuomo, according to the former governor's attorney.
"I was contacted today by the head of the Elder Care Unit from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office who informed me they have closed its investigation involving the Executive Chamber and nursing homes," Elkan Abramowitz, a former federal prosecutor who had been hired to represent Cuomo, said Monday. "I was told that after a thorough investigation — as we have said all along — there was no evidence to suggest that any laws were broken."
NY UNDERCOUNTED NURSING HOME CORONAVIRUS DEATHS BY AS MUCH AS 50%, STATE AG SAYS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
The investigation was opened after a report last year by New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed that the state's Department of Health underreported COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%.
Cuomo had directed nursing homes to accept patients who tested positive for or were suspected of having COVID-19 early in his pandemic response, a move that became controversial after thousands of elderly patients became infected with the virus.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
"As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate," James said in a statement at the time. "While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves and to spur increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents."
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New York Attorney General Letitia James. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A separate investigation conducted by the New York Assembly concluded in November that the Cuomo administration "materially misrepresented" data on nursing home COVID-19 deaths, with one lawmaker saying the revelations would have been grounds for impeachment if Cuomo was still in office.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.