New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Photo: Rick Kopstein

Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas Tuesday night as special prosecutor and said she would take over separate investigations started earlier in the day by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office of former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

In an article published in The New Yorker Monday night, four women with whom Schneiderman had romantic relationships or encounters described nonconsensual slapping and choking, as well as verbal threatening.

Based on the accusations made by Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam and two unidentified women, private defense attorney Jeremy Saland wrote on Monday evening that Schneiderman's actions represented potential criminal violations.