Cuomo ordered to forfeit money from book deal

On Tuesday, The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) ordered former Governor Andrew Cuomo to repay the Attorney General all proceeds received from his book deal.

The JCOPE voted 12-1 in favor of giving Cuomo 30 days to pay the Attorney General the money he was set to make from the book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic.”

The board pulled back on its previous authorization for Cuomo to author the book after they determined that state resources had been used in its completion, contrary to an agreement that had been made.

The resolution states, “in the absence of JCOPE’s approval of his outside activity in connection with the Book, Governor Cuomo is not legally entitled to retain compensation paid to him, in any form, for his outside activities related to the Book.”

The book was authored at the peak of Cuomo’s success. He has since resigned in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.