LA County Sheriff's Department Has Opened Criminal Probe Into Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson (Photo: John Mathew Smith)

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday that it has opened a criminal investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Motown legend Smokey Robinson, the Associated Press reports.

The department said its Special Victims Bureau is “actively investigating criminal allegations” against Robinson, according to the AP. The statement noted that the probe is in its early stages and that no further details would be provided.

The news comes after a lawsuit was filed earlier this month alleging that Robinson sexually harassed and raped four women who worked as housekeepers for him and his wife, Frances.

The lawsuit claims that Robinson, 85, would find ways to isolate the women at his homes in the San Fernando Valley and Las Vegas and forced them to have sex despite their protests, Rolling Stone magazine reports. The allegations span the period between 2007 and 2024.

In addition to the rape allegations, the suit accuses Robinson of false imprisonment and gender-based violence.