The NYPD Special Victims Division is investigating a rape claim against Kristaps Porzingis, reports the NY Post‘s Tina Moore.
Porzingis—then a member of the Knicks—allegedly raped a neighbor he’d invited to his Manhattan penthouse just hours after tearing his ACL last season.
The woman made her allegation against Porzingis on Thursday—more than a year after the alleged attack on February 7, 2018.
The accuser told police that she waited over a year because Porzingis allegedly promised to give her $68,000 in hush money, according to The Post.
The woman — who is in her 20s and also lived in the building — told cops the NBA star visited her apartment at around 2 a.m., and that she accepted his invitation to go back to his posh pad.
Once inside, the towering, 7-foot-3 Latvian allegedly held her down and raped her, she told cops, according to sources. […]
She told cops Porzingis promised to give her $68,000 to pay for her brother’s college tuition, but then reneged, the sources said.
The Knicks agreed to trade the 7-3 big man to the Mavericks in January after Porzingis expressed a desire to be moved.
On the trade call to finalize the deal, the Knicks informed the Mavs of Porzingis’ pending rape allegation, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The NBA league office had already been made aware of the allegations.
Porzingis’ attorney, Roland G. Riopelle, denied the allegations in a statement on Saturday:
We are aware of the complaint that was made against Mr. Porzingis on Friday and unequivocally deny the allegations.
We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on December 20th, 2018, based on the accuser’s extortionate demands. We also alerted the National Basketball Association months ago and they are aware of the ongoing investigation of the accuser by federal law enforcement.
We cannot comment further on an ongoing federal investigation. Please refer any questions to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the National Basketball Association.
