Smokey Robinson is under criminal investigation after housekeepers accuse him of sexual assault

Iconic soul singer Smokey Robinson, who was accused of sexually assaulting four former housekeepers for years in a lawsuit filed earlier this month, is under criminal investigation, a law enforcement official said Thursday.

Iconic soul singer Smokey Robinson, who was accused of sexually assaulting four former housekeepers for years in a lawsuit filed earlier this month, is under criminal investigation, a law enforcement official said Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the investigation is in its early stages and declined further comment.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the investigation, first reported by TMZ, is linked to the lawsuit.

"Our clients intend to fully cooperate with LASD’s ongoing investigation in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him," John Harris and Herbert Hayden said in a statement.

An attorney for Robinson, whose real name is William Robinson Jr., said he welcomes the investigation and feels "confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create."