Mario Batali won’t face criminal charges after the New York Police Department closed its investigations against the disgraced celebrity chef, a police source confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
Last year, the NYPD announced it was investigating complaints that Batali sexually assaulted two women, one in 2004 and one in 2005. One woman said she blacked out after drinking at Babbo — one of Batali’s Manhattan restaurants — and when she woke up, the chef was raping her.
Another woman came forward in an interview with 60 Minutes alleging that Batali sexually assaulted her in 2005 at the Spotted Pig, where Batali was a partner. The woman told 60 Minutes that she blacked out after drinking with the chef and she woke up with a “very deeply wounded leg” and semen on her skirt.
It is unclear if the NYPD was investigating any additional allegations. The New York Times on Wednesday reported that a third woman said she was raped at the Spotted Pig “eight or nine years ago.”
Batali did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday but has previously denied sexually assaulting anyone.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to comment. A spokesperson for the NYPD declined to comment on the specifics of any investigation.
“The NYPD takes sex crimes and sexual assault very seriously, and encourages anyone with information about such a crime to report it to police, so perpetrators can be prosecuted, and justice can be secured for survivors,” the police department said in a statement.
The allegations of sexual assault came after the New York Times and Eater in 2017 published accusations of inappropriate touching by Batali, including times he allegedly groped women’s breasts.
In a statement at the time, Batali said the accounts of alleged sexual harassment “match up with the ways I have acted.”
He called the behavior “wrong” and said he takes “full responsibility.”
He later also apologized to his fans about the allegations of sexual harassment through his newsletter, once again saying his behavior was wrong and that he takes full responsibility.
“I will work every day to regain your respect and trust,” he said in closing the newsletter, signing it “-mb.”
He then ended the note with a cinnamon roll recipe.
“ps. in case you’re searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite.”
That same month, Batali stepped away from the day-to-day operations of his numerous businesses and was fired from ABC’s The Chew, which he had cohosted since 2011.