Cristiano Ronaldo Won't Face Rape Charges

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo won’t face any over an allegation that he raped a woman in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009, prosecutor Steve Wolfson said in a statement today, because Wolfson believes the charge can’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The rape accusation against Ronaldo first became public in 2017, when German magazine that the athlete had reached a $375,000 settlement with an anonymous woman in 2010. In 2018, that woman identified herself as Kathryn Mayorga in a Der Spiegel article in which she recounted the rape in detail. A questionnaire purportedly completed by Ronaldo at the request of his lawyers and obtained by Der Spiegel also backs up her claim. Ronaldo and his lawyers have confirmed the existence of the settlement, but have publicly said that the sex between Ronaldo and Mayorga was consensual, while also claiming that some of Der Spiegel’s documents are fabricated. Ronaldo’s attorneys threatened to sue Der Spiegel for defamation, but have never followed through with an actual lawsuit.

Mayorga’s attorney at the time of the rape advised her to take the settlement instead of pursuing a criminal case, but inspired by the #MeToo movement, Mayorga has since filed a civil suit to challenge the settlement. That lawsuit is still pending.