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Cuomo signs bill to increase penalties on subway gropers – Metro US

Cuomo signs bill to increase penalties on subway gropers

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Any New Yorkers preying on fellow straphangers face steeper penalties if they are convicted.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that increase punishment for any person caught taking advantage of crowded trains and buses to sexually assault other riders.

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“Those who commit these despicable acts will be caught and, with this new law, will face very real consequences,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Those consequences include up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. The same offenses could only be convicted as a lower-grade misdemeanor before.

Queens Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, who helped usher the bill through the legislature, thanked Cuomo for signing the bill and recognizing that “these crimes on public transportation are particularly egregious because riders are essentially captives of their attackers.”

The new law takes effect Nov. 1.