But because of the conflict presented by the Police Department’s investigating a sexual assault accusation against the commissioner’s son, the case was handed over on Wednesday to the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R Vance Jr.

Greg, 43, denied the accusation in a statement by his lawyer, Andrew M Lankler, that was released Wednesday evening.

“Mr Kelly is aware that the New York County District Attorney’s office is conducting an investigation,” the statement said. “Mr Kelly strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind, and is cooperating fully with the district attorney’s investigation. We know the district attorney’s investigation will prove Mr Kelly’s innocence.”

The woman, who is in her late 20s or early 30s, walked into the 13th Precinct station house with her sister sometime after 8 pm on Tuesday and made her complaint, according to one of the law enforcement officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The woman told the police that she met the younger Kelly on the street and that the two went to South Street Seaport for drinks on October 8. They then proceeded to her office at a Lower Manhattan law firm. The woman told the police that the rape occurred at the office. The two continued to have contact by phone and text message after the encounter.

According to the woman’s account, when her boyfriend later learned about the night, he became angry. He then approached the police commissioner at a public event and told him that the younger Kelly had sexually assaulted his girlfriend.

The commissioner, according to the woman’s account, told him to write a letter. It was unclear if the man did so.

Commissioner Kelly’s account of his encounter with the boyfriend is similar, though according to Paul J Browne, the deputy commissioner of public information at the Police Department, the man told the commissioner that his son had “ruined my girlfriend’s life” but declined it to discuss it there. So the commissioner suggested that he write the letter.