Cristiano Ronaldo Escapes Criminal Charges over Rape Allegations

Published 07/23/2019, 8:59 AM EDT

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There is some respite for Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Las Vegas prosecutors. As it turns out, the Portuguese talisman will not face criminal charges over rape allegations from an incident in 2009.

The Clark County district reviewed the police investigation into the claims, by the victim, Kathryn Mayorga. However, the conclusion was that there was not enough evidence to support the allegations, so the charges were not filed.

“Based upon a review of the information presented at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming,” attorney Steve Wolfson revealed.

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Ronaldo’s accuser, Mayorga came forward with her story in 2018 and filed a separate civil lawsuit against the football star. She claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo used “fixers” to prevent her from pursuing criminal charges. This included, paying her $375,000 to remain silent on the issue.

Thought-provokingly, Ronaldo’s lawyer, Peter Christiansen, did not deny the fact that his client reached an agreement with Mayorga. Mayorga even confirmed that she came forward with her story in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

via Imago

According to Christiansen, Ronaldo and Mayorga had consensual sex, though Mayorga contested that. She affirmed that she agreed to kiss Ronaldo, but he forced her into sex.

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Speaking to Der Spiegel in 2018, Mayorga said, “After he assaulted me, he wouldn’t let me leave again. He wouldn’t let me leave,”.

She filed a complaint with Las Vegas police after the alleged assault, but surprisingly did not name her assailant. Wolfson then countered, saying that the police failed to find forensic evidence. He also revealed that video footage of Mayorga and Ronaldo had been lost. Cristiano Ronaldo has vehemently denied Mayorga’s claims.

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“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” he firmly stated in October 2018. “Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense. My clear conscious [sic] will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”

via Imago

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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