The former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took a no-jail deal Tuesday following accusations he groped a woman’s backside in his Brooklyn home.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, 58, who headed the Big Apple’s Health Department before joining the CDC, entered a guilty plea to a single charge of disorderly conduct through his attorney, Laura Brevetti, as the case was headed to trial.
“Is there anything you would like to say before I impose sentence?” asked Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Edwin Novillo.
“No,” a stoic-looking Frieden responded.
Novillo sentenced him to a conditional discharge, which means the matter will be dismissed and sealed within a year if he stays out of trouble.
The woman was described as a close friend who had known Frieden and his family for more than 30 years. They were not believed to be romantically involved.
She and another couple were at his apartment on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights for a get-together on Oct. 20, 2017, and he allegedly squeezed her behind as they were getting ready to leave, sources said.
The woman filed a report about the incident on July 7 2018.
Frieden’s sentence also included an order of protection against him for his accuser.
As then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Health Department chief from 2002 to 2009, Frieden was best known for banning smoking in bars and restaurants as well as trans fats in food, having calorie info posted on menus, and supporting the distribution of free condoms.




