Imperial Valley Press

Prosecutor: Cristiano Ronaldo won’t face Vegas rape charge

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo won’t face criminal charges after a woman accused the soccer star of raping her in his suite at a Las Vegas resort more than 10 years ago, the city’s top prosecutor said Monday.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he reviewed a new police investigat­ion and determined that Kathryn Mayorga’s claim can’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“Therefore, no charges will be forthcomin­g,” Wolfson said in a statement.

Ronaldo’s attorney, Peter Christians­en, was traveling Monday and not immediatel­y available to comment. Christians­en has said Ronaldo and Mayorga had consensual sex in 2009. He denied it was rape.

Attorneys for Mayorga, a former model and schoolteac­her, did not immediatel­y respond to telephone, text and email messages.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault. Mayorga gave consent through her lawyers to make her name public.

She has a lawsuit pending against Ronaldo in U.S. court in Las Vegas that accused Ronaldo or those working for him of conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract and coercion and fraud. She says they allowed terms of a confidenti­al financial settlement with Mayorga to become public.

Mayorga’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, has acknowledg­ed that Mayorga received $375,000 in hush money following the encounter. He maintained that agreement was made under pressure from “fixers” trying to protect Ronaldo’s reputation.

The lawsuit seeks to void the agreement and collect at least $200,000 more from Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who plays in Italy for the Turin-based soccer club Juventus, is one of the most recognizab­le and highly paid players in sports.

Mayorga underwent a medical exam to collect DNA evidence shortly after she says Ronaldo assaulted her in June 2009.

She spoke again with police for the new investigat­ion, and authoritie­s this year obtained a sample of Ronaldo’s DNA through Italian authoritie­s.

 ??  ?? In this June 8 file photo, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo smiles when he arrives to a training session at the Bessa stadium in Porto, Portugal. AP PhoTo/MArTIn MeIssner
In this June 8 file photo, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo smiles when he arrives to a training session at the Bessa stadium in Porto, Portugal. AP PhoTo/MArTIn MeIssner

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