LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sexual assault detectives in Las Vegas submitted for an arrest warrant for soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo following an investigation into allegations that he raped a woman, but the Clark County district attorney's office declined it, officials confirm with 13 Action News.
The case was presented in July 2019. The district attorney's office says it believes the allegations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and that's why it declined to prosecute.
Ronaldo has denied accusations that he raped a woman at the Palms hotel-casino in June of 2009.
News of the submitted arrest warrant was first reported by British tabloid newspaper The Sun. The district attorney's office clarified that a warrant was never actually issued and the office did not "stop an arrest," as the Sun's reporting suggests.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says the district attorney’s office reviews submittals from its department and makes the final determination on whether the case is approved and will be prosecuted.
Clark County district attorney's office tells 13 Action News that Ronaldo was not identified as the alleged perpetrator in the original 2009 investigation, nobody was, and that "police were unable to follow investigative protocols for sexual assault cases or to conduct any meaningful investigation."
In 2010, the woman and Ronaldo reached a civil settlement related to the case.
In August of 2018, the woman reached out to LVMPD asking that her sexual assault investigation be reopened. This time, she named Cristiano Ronaldo as the offender and police investigated.
It's after this investigation that LVMPD sexual assault detectives submitted a request for prosecution to the district attorney. The DA's office reviewed the evidence and came to its determination that no charges would be forthcoming.
This story was updated with additional information from the Clark County district attorney's office in response to our request for more information.
