Russell Simmons Rape Allegation Under NYPD Investigation

NEW YORK, NY — The NYPD is investigating allegations that the music mogul Russell Simmons raped her more than 30 years ago, a Police Department spokesman said Thursday.

New York detectives on Thursday reportedly interviewed Sherri Hines, a singer who previously told The Los Angeles Times that Simmons raped her in his New York office in 1983. Hines performed under the stage name Sherri Sher in the female hip-hop group Mercedes Ladies.

An NYPD spokesman, Sgt. Brendan Ryan, confirmed that detectives have received complaints about Simmons, but did not specify from whom or how many.

"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," Ryan said in a statement.

At an unrelated press conference Friday, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. declined to comment on whether his office is investigating Simmons.

Hines and six other women have accused Simmons of sexually assaulting or raping them in New York, according to reports in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter. Four other women have also come forward with allegations of misconduct that happened elsewhere.

A 12th woman, the public relations executive Kelly Cutrone, told Page Six that Simmons tried to rape her at his apartment in 1991. Simmons reportedly denies that and all other allegations against him.

The NYPD is also investigating rape accusations against Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul who was the first subject of a series of exposes revealing patterns of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful, wealthy men.

Simmons, a Queens native, co-founded the Def Jam Recordings record label in 1984. He has since become a an influential music and entertainment executive.

Simmons has flatly denied all the allegations against him. He posted an image to Instagram Thursday with the text "#NotMe," a reference to the #MeToo hashtag used by women who have experienced sexual violence.

"Today, I begin to properly defend myself," Simmons wrote on Instagram. "I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges."

Read the full Los Angeles Times report here.

Brendan Krisel contributed reporting.

(Lead image: Russell Simmons is pictured in July. Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)