Celebrity chef Mario Batali under criminal investigation, New York police say

The women alleged that Batali and the restaurant’s co-owner, Ken Friedman, sexually harassed or assaulted them.

A spokeswoman for Batali didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and there was no immediate reply to messages to The Spotted Pig and Friedman.

Batali apologized after the allegations were reported in December, saying: “Much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong, and there are no excuses.”

In a statement to “60 Minutes,” he denied assaulting a woman whose allegations were reported by CBS. He added that he wasn’t focused on a professional comeback but on a “personal path forward” on which “I can continue in my charitable endeavors — helping the underprivileged and those in need.”

In a separate statement to “60 Minutes,” Friedman said he had “focused intently on what we could and should have done better, on my own personal decisions and mistakes for which I have apologized.”

A spokesman for Friedman added that he “vehemently denies any non-consensual activity.” A woman who alleged to “60 Minutes” that Friedman assaulted her “never issued a complaint,” the spokesman said, “and expressed ongoing affection for him.”

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