Obama CDC Director Tom Frieden Arrested, Charged with Sex Abuse

Monica Sanchez | August 24, 2018
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Former director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tom Frieden has been arrested and charged with forcible touching, sex abuse, and harassment.

Frieden, who served as the head of the CDC from 2009 to 2017 under then-President Barack Obama, turned himself into the NYPD’s Special Victims Division in Brooklyn Friday morning, police said. He is expected to appear in court Friday evening.

CNN reports

A law enforcement official told CNN that authorities filed three charges against Frieden stemming from an alleged incident in his home in Brooklyn Heights in October.

Frieden, 57, who left the CDC in January 2017, is expected to appear in front of a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court to face one count of forcible touching, one count of sex abuse in the third degree and one count of harassment in the second degree, the law enforcement official said.

The law enforcement official said that allegedly, there was a dinner party at Frieden's home, and as things were wrapping up and people were leaving, Frieden reached over and grabbed the woman without her consent. Both have known each other for several years, the law enforcement official said.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office interviewed the alleged victim and found her to be credible, the law enforcement official said.

Before being appointed Obama's CDC chief in 2009, Frieden served as New York City’s health commissioner from 2002 to 2009. He came to prominence by banning smoking in NYC restaurants and public places. 

As director of the CDC, he was best known for leading the agency's efforts to stem the Ebola outbreak. He stepped down when President Trump took office. 

Frieden currently serves as president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, “a $225 million health initiative funded by the charities of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Bill and Melinda Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan,” reports The New York Post.

The initiative aims to "make the world healthier and safer by preventing 100 million deaths from cardiovascular disease and we’re resolved to prevent epidemics," its website states.

Based on a statement by one of his spokespersons, Frieden denies the allegations.

“This allegation does not reflect Dr. Frieden’s public or private behavior or his values over a lifetime of service to improve health around the world,” a spokeswoman told CNN. 

For more, check out the Yahoo News report below. 

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