Ex-CDC director Thomas Frieden denies groping allegation

A former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was accused of grabbing a woman's behind and was arrested yesterday on a sex abuse charge but said the woman's allegation "does not reflect" who he is or the values he has.

Dr Thomas Frieden was awaiting a court appearance yesterday in connection with what happened on October 20, 2017, at his Brooklyn home, police said.

The woman reported it in July, and he was taken into custody after an investigation.

The accuser, a 55-year-old woman who knew Frieden, told police that he grabbed her buttocks. Frieden, who also is a former New York City health commissioner, is charged with forcible touching, sex abuse and harassment.

Frieden leads a health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives, which is housed by nonprofit global health organization Vital Strategies.

"The allegation does not reflect Dr Frieden's public or private behaviour or his values over a lifetime of service to improve health around the world," said a statement issued by a spokesman on his behalf.

The president of Vital Strategies, Jose L Castro, came out in support of Frieden.

He said Frieden informed him in April that "a non-work-related friend of his and his family of more than 30 years accused him of inappropriate physical contact."