Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been asked to submit a DNA sample by Las Vegas police, as part of 2009 rape investigation.
Las Vegas police have asked Cristiano Ronaldo to submit a DNA sample, as part of an ongoing investigation into rape allegations stemming from a night in 2009, according to TMZ.
Kathryn Mayorga, a then-25-year-old woman, alleges that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. Mayorga has stated that she did not initially participate in a full police investigation at the time of the alleged assault out of fear for her personal safety and the well-being of her family.
Las Vegas police re-opened their investigation into Mayorga’s claims in September 2018.
According to published documents, Mayorga reached a $375,000 out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo in 2010, in exchange for agreeing to never go public with her allegations. Her attorneys would later file suits, claiming that the non-disclosure agreement was void, and claimed Mayorga suffered “post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression” as a result of the alleged incident.
Ronaldo has denied all allegations on multiple occasions, accusing Mayorga of chasing fame and celebrity at his expense. Lawyers for the Juventus forward called documents related to the case – including statements from Ronaldo initially published in German paper Der Spiegel – “complete fabrications.”
I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. 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.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
Real Madrid – the club Ronaldo joined in the summer of 2009 – filed a lawsuit against Portuguese media outlet Correio da Manhã for publishing a story last October implying the club was involved in a cover-up of the allegations, and specifically instructed Ronaldo to pay Mayorga for her silence.
Ronaldo’s current club Juventus and coach Massimiliano Allegri have repeatedly offered their support for Ronaldo, including a statement praising his “great professionalism and dedication.”
