Las Vegas authorities have sent a warrant to collect DNA from Cristiano Ronaldo to discover whether it matches traces found on a dress belonging to Kathryn Mayorga. Mayorga has said Ronaldo raped her in a hotel room in 2009. A statement issued Thursday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that the warrant has been sent to authorities in Italy, where the five-time Ballon d'Or winner plays for league leaders Juventus. "The LVMPD is taking the same steps in this case as in any other sexual assault to facilitate the collection of DNA evidence," the statement read. The department said it would not provide any additional information at this time. Ronaldo's lawyer, Peter S. Christiansen, issued a statement on behalf of the Portugal international, saying: "Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature, so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation." Police in Las Vegas confirmed in October they had reopened a criminal investigation at Mayorga's request. According to the civil lawsuit, which was filed in a Nevada court in September, Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo raped her in his hotel room in Las Vegas, and that she was coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement in 2010 in an out-of-court settlement in exchange for $375,000. The suit asks for general damages, special damages, punitive damages and special relief, each in excess of $50,000, along with interest, attorneys fees and court costs. Ronaldo has repeatedly denied the accusations.<doc-sep>Police have issued a warrant for Cristiano Ronaldo's DNA as a part of an investigation into a decade-old rape allegation against the soccer superstar, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Ronaldo, 33, was accused of sexually assaulting a Nevada woman in a hotel penthouse back in 2009 after she was separated from a group visiting at his invitation. He has denied the accusation. His lawyer in a statement Thursday said the sex was consensual and appeared to confirm the report that police have issued a warrant for a DNA sample from his client, saying that would be a "standard request" in such an investigation. NBC News has not immediately been able to confirm with the Las Vegas police that such a warrant was issued. Ronaldo's lawyer, Peter S. Christiansen, said, "Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature, so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation." His accuser, Kathryn Mayorga, filed a lawsuit in September 2018 claiming she was coerced into accepting a payoff of $375,000 in 2010 to buy her silence and is seeking to overturn the non-disclosure agreement she signed. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is pictured with Kathryn Mayorga, center, in Rain Nightclub in Las Vegas June 2009. Matrixpictures via AP Las Vegas police announced in October they would reopen their investigation into the allegations. Police responded to a call of sexual assault at the time of the alleged incident, a spokesman for the department told said in October. But the case was closed after "the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description." Ronaldo denied the allegations in a statement on Twitter shortly after the lawsuit was filed. "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," the tweet read. "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." Juventus, the Italian football club Ronaldo plays for, also released a statement on Twitter at the time expressing support for the Portuguese player. The club praised Ronaldo for his "great professionalism and dedication." "The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion," Juventus said on Twitter. Ronaldo signed with Juventus in July of 2018, shortly after Portugal's national team was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup. Juventus signed the Ronaldo for $131.5 million on a four-year contract, according to the Associated Press.<doc-sep>Authorities in Las Vegas have issued a warrant to obtain the DNA of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to see if it matches that found on a dress of a woman who has accused him of rape, according to a law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case. The authorities sent the warrant recently to the court system in Italy, where Mr. Ronaldo plays soccer, the official said. Las Vegas police reopened the case in the fall after the woman, Kathryn Mayorga, filed a lawsuit alleging that Mr. Ronaldo raped her in 2009 in Las Vegas and then paid her $375,000 to keep it secret. Mr. Ronaldo and his attorneys have repeatedly denied the rape allegations. “Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in 2009 in Las Vegas was consensual in nature, so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation,” Peter S. Christiansen, an attorney for Mr. Ronaldo, said Thursday. An attorney for Ms. Mayorga and a Las Vegas police spokeswoman didn’t respond to requests for comment. A key piece of evidence in the investigation is a dress from the night in question nine years ago. Las Vegas police found DNA other than Ms. Mayorga’s on the dress, the law-enforcement official said. When the warrant is served in Italy, authorities would be expected to collect a sample of Mr. Ronaldo’s DNA and send it to Las Vegas police, who would assess whether it matches that found on the dress, the official said. Mr. Ronaldo plays for the Turin, Italy-based club Juventus, which signed him in a $92 million transfer last summer. Police are gathering all possible evidence before they turn over the case to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether to file charges. The alleged rape occurred in June 2009. Mr. Ronaldo, then 24, was on vacation in Las Vegas and met Ms. Mayorga in the Rain nightclub at the Palms Casino Resort before inviting her to a party in his suite, according to her civil complaint. It was there that Mr. Ronaldo forced himself on Ms. Mayorga while she begged him to stop, the filing alleges. The complaint adds that “when Cristiano Ronaldo completed the sexual assault of the plaintiff, he allowed her to leave the bedroom stating he was sorry, he was usually a gentleman.” Ms. Mayorga reported the alleged sexual assault to police on the day it occurred. Under Nevada law, there is no statute of limitations on investigations or potential charges stemming from such reports. Write to Zusha Elinson at zusha.elinson@wsj.com Corrections & Amplifications The court issued a warrant to obtain the DNA of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. An earlier headline on this article incorrectly said the police issued the warrant. (Jan. 11, 2019)<doc-sep>
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Las Vegas police have issued a warrant to obtain a DNA sample from Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo to see if it matches DNA found on the dress of his supposed victim, Kathyrn Mayorga, who has accused him of rape. According to the US-based newspaper, the warrant has been sent to the judicial authorities in Italy, where Ronaldo is currently resident in Turin, after his move last summer from Real Madrid. The dress Mayorga was wearing on the night of the alleged rape in 2009 is a key piece of evidence in the case. Las Vegas police have discovered DNA other than that of the alleged victim on the item of clothing. Provided everything in the warrant is correct, police in Italy would now be expected to collect a sample of Ronaldo's DNA to be sent to authorities in Las Vegas. Cristiano Ronaldo's lawyer has confirmed the issuance of a warrant to obtain the player's DNA. "Mr Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature, so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation", said Ronaldo’s lawyer, Peter S Christiansen, to the BBC. Mayorga alleges Cristiano Ronaldo raped her in Las Vegas Kathryn Mayorga filed a lawsuit last autumn alleging Ronaldo raped her in 2009 in Las Vegas and then agreed to pay her $375,000 to keep it secret. Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyer has strenuously denied the allegations, alleging that what occurred in Las Vegas was consensual. According to the lawsuit filed by Mayorga, after the pair met at a night club Ronaldo invited the alleged victim and a friend back to his penthouse suite. Once there, say the court papers, he urged her into his hot tub, but she refused because she did not want to spoil her dress. He is then alleged to have offered her clothes to change into and pointed her towards the bathroom. As she was changing, he purportedly came in and asked her to carry out a sexual act. She "refused and stated she wanted to leave the hotel suite," say the court documents. "Upon leaving the bathroom, Ronaldo pulled the plaintiff into a bedroom and on to a bed and attempted to engage in sexual intercourse," the documents add. "Plaintiff refused... and covered herself in an attempt to prevent sexual penetration." Ronaldo then allegedly raped Mayorga, despite her screaming "no", before saying: "Sorry, I'm usually a gentleman." According to court papers, the footballer confirmed that they did have sexual intercourse, but said that it was a consensual act. Mayorga reported the alleged assault to the police the day after it occurred, but then negotiated a an out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo not to go public with her claims. However, her lawyers now want to annul that agreement, which she says she only signed because she was "terrified of retaliation" and of "being publicly humiliated by being identified as a victim of sexual assault". She says she was left traumatised, and suffering from post-traumatic stress, "major depression" and suicidal thoughts.