Kristaps Porzingis’ attorney calls rape allegation ‘completely meritless’
Kristaps Porzingis is under investigation in New York after a woman filed a complaint last week accusing him of sexually assaulting her over a year ago, and the NBA star’s legal team is confident nothing will come of the allegations.
On Monday, Porzingis’ attorney Ronald G. Riopelle told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the 23-year-old is cooperating with authorities and called the complaint “completely meritless.” He also confirmed that Porzingis previously filed a complaint of his own alleging that the woman was trying to extort him.
Kristaps Porzingis' attorney Roland G. Riopelle tells ESPN: "We have been contacted by (New York County) the District Attorney's office and we are cooperating fully with their investigation. We have agreed to provide the District Attorney's Office with the materials…" (more)
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 1, 2019
More from Riopelle: "…that we previously provided to the federal authorities in support of our extortion complaint. We are confident that, after the District Attorney reviews these materials, they will recognize that the complaint made in this case is completely meritless." https://t.co/lUfR4RUnrL
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 1, 2019
Porzingis is accused of leaving a 29-year-old woman with severe injuries after an “extremely aggressive encounter” that took place in the hours after he suffered a torn ACL last February. ESPN obtained a copy on Monday of a hand-written letter the woman sent Porzingis seeking payment of $68,000, which she says he promised her to help pay for her brother’s college tuition. The woman said Porzingis signed the letter, but the Dallas Mavericks star’s legal team believes the signature is a “forgery.”
Wojnarowski also reported on Monday that emails and text messages the woman sent to Porzingis indicate she was looking to have intimate relations with him in the days and weeks after the night in question. The NBA Players Association has released a statement standing by Porzingis.
