US Prosecutors Decline Sexual Assault Charges Against Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo

The district attorney’s office explained itself in a statement, saying, “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 allegations against Ronaldo surfaced in August 2018 after Kathryn Mayorga contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, requesting that her 2009 sexual assault investigation be reopened by investigators. It was at that time that Mayorga identified her attacker as Ronaldo.

The DA's office noted in the Monday release that the initial investigation had been closed as a result of lost video evidence, not knowing the identity of the suspect, location of the crime and the inability to "search for and impound vital forensic evidence."

Following the reports, Ronaldo came out and "firmly" rejected the claims. Taking to Twitter, Ronaldo wrote that "rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

​Mayorga detailed the alleged assault in an interview with German media outlet Der Spiegel. In the piece, she stated that she met the soccer player at a Las Vegas nightclub and that she was part of a group that went back to Ronaldo's penthouse at the Hotel Palm Place. Ronaldo allegedly assaulted Mayorga after cornering her inside a bathroom at the suite.

In addition to calling on officials to reopen the case, Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit which claimed that she'd been coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement in 2010 that included a $375,000 hush payment. At the time, Mayorga told Der Spiegel that she went ahead with the agreement "out of fear for herself and her family."

The lawsuit has hit several roadblocks after attempts to serve Ronaldo ultimately failed. According to USA Today, Mayorga in June 2019 filed a federal complaint in the US District of Nevada after her previous claim fell through.