Mario Batali Under Criminal Investigation For Sexual Misconduct: NYPD

Mario Batali , the world-famous chef and restaurateur who has been accused by at least 11 women of sexual misconduct, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the New York Police Department into allegations of criminal sexual misconduct.

News of the investigation was first reported by the CBS news show “60 Minutes” this evening. A source at the NYPD confirmed the investigation to HuffPost but declined to elaborate further.

Sexual misconduct allegations against Batali first surfaced in December when Eater published a story detailing four women’s allegations against Batali that included sexual assault. At the time, Batali acknowledged that he engaged in inappropriate behavior and took leave from his restaurant group.

The “60 Minutes” story includes interviews with women who say they were sexually assaulted by Batali. One woman, who was interviewed in silhouette to protect her identity, is accusing Batali of drugging her and engaging in what she described as criminal sexual misconduct while she was unconscious. Batali, through an attorney, denied these allegations.

At the time, the woman, who worked for Batali in 2005, had a rape kit done and spoke to detectives in the special victims unit at the NYPD. Even though the detectives asked her to file a police report, she declined, telling “60 Minutes,” “They tried getting me to file a report. They tried, they tried. But I you know, a young actress, no resources, no money I couldn’t. I I couldn’t do it.”

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