Las Vegas Prosecutor Decides Against Charging Soccer Star Ronaldo in Decade Old Sexual Assault Case

Posted on: July 22, 2019, 09:37h. 

Last updated on: July 22, 2019, 09:37h.

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The Clark County District Attorney’s Office (DA), the lead prosecutor in Las Vegas, announced on Monday no charges would be filed against soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo in a sexual assault case that dates back more than 10 years.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face charges in Las Vegas over an alleged sexual assault case from a decade ago, the Clark County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday. (Image: Getty Images)

The decision comes two weeks after the DA received a request to prosecute, and it comes roughly 11 months after the alleged victim contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and asked them to reopen the case.

According to the DA and court records, a female called the Las Vegas police on June 13, 2009, and said she had been sexually assaulted. Officers took her to a hospital for examination.

Prosecutors said that at the time of the alleged crime the victim refused to disclose the perpetrator and where the incident occurred. Those actions hindered the investigation, which was subsequently closed for nearly a decade.

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,” the DA’s statement read. “Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming.”

With the DA’s office opting not to pursue charges, Ronaldo avoids facing a potential life sentence for sexual assault in Nevada.

The DA’s news release lists the alleged victim as “V,” however she has been identified in media reports as Kathryn Mayorga, a Las Vegas resident. Earlier this year, Mayorga filed a federal lawsuit against Ronaldo in Nevada.

Parties Previously Settled

In the lawsuit, Mayorga said the incident occurred at the Palms Hotel and Casino. She and a friend met the Portuguese national player, who currently stars for Italian power Juventus FC, at the resort’s Rain nightclub on June 12, 2009. The next day, Ronaldo asked a group of people, including Mayorga, to his penthouse suite.

The attack allegedly occurred after she was changing clothes to go into the suite’s hot tub.

Mayorga’s lawsuit claims a nurse told her during the assault examination that she would be the target of retaliation and subject to harassment from Ronaldo. She claimed a Las Vegas detective made similar remarks and that she was trying to “extort money” from him.

The lawsuit remains ongoing.

In 2010, Ronaldo reached a settlement with Mayorga that paid her $375,000 and included a nondisclosure agreement. However, in the lawsuit, Mayorga claims Ronaldo misrepresented the purpose for the settlement, which she says now served the purpose of derailing the police investigation.

‘Football Leaks’ Documents Spurred Reopening

In 2017, documents discovered by the Football Leaks website and published by German publication Der Spiegel included a report that allegedly shows Ronaldo admitting to his lawyer that the incident was not consensual. That was the first time the incident had been made public.

A year later, Mayorga’s lawsuit states she took copies of the Football Leaks documents to police as evidence Ronaldo and his camp were conspiring to obstruct justice.

After reopening the investigation, the LVMPD sought a warrant for Ronaldo to submit a DNA sample for the investigation. Ronaldo has previously denied the assault allegation, but he claimed the incident was consensual. He’s also claimed the Football Leaks documents were doctored by a hacker.