Families of COVID victims who died in New York nursing homes are urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). They are calling for accountability after newly surfaced emails and congressional documents suggest Cuomo personally altered a 2020 report that downplayed nursing home fatalities.

The families, led by Peter Arbeeny, Vivian Zayas, and Janice Dean, sent a letter to the DOJ, requesting a full investigation. The letter claims that Cuomo lied to Congress during two hearings when he said he hadn’t seen or reviewed the report from the New York State Department of Health before its release. The families are demanding justice for their lost loved ones and that Cuomo face consequences for his actions.

Recently uncovered emails show that Cuomo’s assistant, Farah Kennedy, sent the report to the former governor for review. The email states, “Governor’s edits are attached,” suggesting that Cuomo was more involved in shaping the report than he had claimed. His edits appeared to emphasize the role of community spread among staff and visitors rather than policy failures.

Vivian Zayas, co-founder of Voice for Seniors, said, “If he lied to Congress, he committed a crime.” Zayas, whose mother passed away in a nursing home, believes Cuomo should be investigated thoroughly.

Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, dismissed the accusations, calling them politically motivated. He argued that New York followed the CDC’s policies during the pandemic, which were in place under President Donald Trump’s administration. Some Democratic lawmakers, including Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-NY), have expressed support for the families’ push for an investigation.