Ex-CDC Chief Frieden Arrested on Groping Charges

Another familiar name is in the news on the wrong side of sexual abuse charges. This time it's Thomas Frieden, former head of the CDC and a former health commissioner of New York City, reports Reuters. Frieden, 57, is accused of grabbing the buttocks of a 55-year-old woman at his home in October. He turned himself in to the NYPD on Friday and faces two misdemeanor charges of forcible touching and sexual abuse, as well as harassment, a violation, reports the Daily News. The woman, described by police as a friend or acquaintance, reported the incident in July.

One law-enforcement official tells CNN that the alleged groping took place as a dinner party at Frieden's home in Brooklyn Heights was wrapping up. Frieden allegedly grabbed the woman without her consent as people were leaving. "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," says a spokeswoman for Frieden. President Obama appointed him director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009, and he served in that role until the end of Obama's tenure. (More Thomas Frieden stories.)