Cristiano Ronaldo Won’t Face Sexual Assault Charges in Las Vegas

(Bloomberg) -- Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo won’t face criminal charges related to an alleged sexual assault more than 10 years ago in Las Vegas.

Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson said in a statement Monday that based on a review of the case the allegations can’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and that no charges will be forthcoming.

Ronaldo, who currently plays for Juventus in Italy, has denied allegations by Kathryn Mayorga that he assaulted her in 2009 in his penthouse suite at a Las Vegas hotel. Mayorga said in a civil suit last year, seeking to void a settlement with Ronaldo after the alleged assault, that she had experiencing severe emotional trauma at the time and wasn’t competent to negotiate the settlement. Her lawsuit is pending.

Mayorga reported the assault to Las Vegas police in 2009 but she didn’t identify Ronaldo or disclose where the alleged assault happened. As a result, police were unable to to conduct a meaningful investigation at the time, according to the district attorney.

She contacted Las Vegas police again in August, asking the investigation be reopened, naming Ronaldo this time. Police asked the district attorney to prosecute on July 8, but on Monday the office declined.

Lawyers for Mayorga and Ronaldo didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the D.A.’s announcement.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Joe Schneider, Heather Smith

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