Kristaps Porzingis 'unequivocally' denies rape allegation, says attorney
Sunday 31 March 2019 08:22, UK
An attorney for Kristaps Porzingis acknowledges that a woman has accused the NBA star of rape, but says the Dallas Mavericks forward "unequivocally" denies the allegation.
Lawyer Roland Riopelle said on Saturday that the claim against the player was part of an extortion attempt that is being investigated by the FBI.
Citing unidentified law enforcement officials, the New York Post and other news organisations reported earlier that a woman went to police on Thursday and said Porzingis raped her in his Manhattan apartment last year while he was playing for the New York Knicks.
Riopelle says Porzingis reported to federal law enforcement in December that the accuser was making "extortionate demands".
In a statement released by Riopelle, he said: "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 20, 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."
Police officials are yet to comment.
Porzingis, a 23-year-old native of Latvia, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in January.
