Crime & Safety

Mario Batali Faces Criminal Charge In Boston

Celebrity chef Mario Batali was accused of kissing and groping a woman against her will at a Back Bay restaurant.

Batali denied the allegations, his attorney told The Boston Globe.
Batali denied the allegations, his attorney told The Boston Globe. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF)

BOSTON, MA — Celebrity Chef Mario Batali faces a charge of indecent assault and battery after he was accused of kissing and groping a woman against her will in a now-closed Back Bay restaurant in 2017. Batali will be arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins.

Batali was accused of grabbing a women's chest and kissing and rubbing her when she approached him for a photo, according to a criminal complaint filed last month and obtained by The Boston Globe.

Batali's attorney told The Globe he denies the allegations.

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Batali, 58, stepped away from the restaurant scene after multiple woman levied allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The charge he faces in Boston is believed to be the first criminal one against him.

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