Mario Batali Under Criminal Investigation For Sexual Misconduct

We reported back in December that celebrity chef Mario Batali, most famous for appearing on The Chew was accused of sexual misconduct by four different women. TMZ has an update on the story, revealing that Batali is now under criminal investigation for his alleged actions by the NYPD.

An anonymous woman came forward on 60 Minutes last night and told Anderson Cooper that Batali had sexually assaulted her. She was one of several women to speak up about the chef. She claimed that Batali may have also drugged her in 2005. She claims she woke up at the Spotted Pig with semen on her leg. She was an employee of his and had been getting romantic with him before blacking out the night before. She went to have a rape kit done but never filed a police report.

Other women claim that Batali touched them without permission and they claimed they saw him assault another woman who was either unconscious or semi-conscious at the time. The woman in question refused to comment.

Batali has denied the claims, saying he did not assault the woman who spoke up. He didn’t respond about the second possible rape case or the inappropriate touching. He apologized for his behavior last year when originally accused.

There is also a second rape investigation concerning Batali. A woman from Texas claims that she was raped by Batali on January 29, 2004 and filed a police report with the NYPD in March of this year. The NYPD has confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.

This woman said she was at Batali’s West Village restaurant Babbo having a drink. At around 2 AM, she went to use the bathroom. The next thing she remembers is Batali having sex with her while she was unable to stop it.