The music mogul has been accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women, but 'vehemently denies' the allegations.
Russell Simmons is under investigation.
The New York Police Department has opened a preliminary investigation into the music mogul following allegations of sexual assault.
In a statement to ET on Thursday, Sgt. Brendan Ryan said, "The NYPD has received information regarding allegations involving Russell Simmons in the NYC area and our detectives are in the process of reviewing that information."
A spokesperson for Simmons tells ET that "Russell Simmons fully supports and will cooperate with the police inquiry and is confident of a swift resolution."
Simmons has been accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women, including a number of alleged incidents that took place in New York. In a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday, he "vehemently denied all these allegations," claiming that he's "never had a sexual encounter that was not consensual or lawful."
According to TMZ, Simmons took a polygraph test on Wednesday while being questioned about his encounter with model Keri Claussen Khalighi. In an article published by The Los Angeles Times in November, Khalighi claimed that Simmons sexually assaulted her in 1991, while Brett Ratner allegedly watched.
Simmons denied Khalighi's claims at the time, and in an Instagram post on Thursday, wrote that he "will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges."
"Today, I will focus on 'The Original Sin' (Keri Claussen), the claim that created this insane pile on of my #MeToo. Stay tuned! We’ll share information today... And tomorrow the case of Jenny Lumet," he said. "My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable. #NotMe Again, this is not a movement against or even in conjunction with #Metoo. It’s just a statement about my innocence."
See more on the allegations against Simmons and the aftermath in the video below.
Reporting by Kelly Agnes and Rande Iaboni.
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