Smokey Robinson, the soulful voice behind some of Motown’s most timeless classics, is now at the center of a criminal investigation stemming from serious sexual assault allegations.

Motown great Smokey Robinson is under criminal investigation after recent allegations of rape and other abuse made in a $50 million lawsuit earlier this month. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed the news to multiple media outlets.

Motown singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson called the sexual assault allegations from his former employees "vile" and "false."