Former New York Knicks Player Kristaps Porzingis Accused of Violent Sexual Assault

Former New York Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis is being accused of sexual assault in New York [...]

By Victoria Moghaddami

Former New York Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis is being accused of sexual assault in New York City and is now the target of an NYPD investigation.

According to TMZ, the alleged victim told law enforcement that the NBA star allegedly pinned her down and raped her. She then continued to say that after the two had sexual intercourse, he became violent by hitting her several times in the face, spit on her, then called her "my b—h" and "my slave," telling her he owned her. The woman told police that once she started fighting back, Porzingis stopped being violent.

The night started when the 23-year-old allegedly invited her up to his Manhattan penthouse on Feb. 7, 2018. All of this comes shortly after Porzingis would tear his ACL in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The accuser waited to file the report until last Thursday — a year after the alleged incident — because the 29-year-old told cops that Porzingis reportedly promised her $68,000 in hush money. These funds would allegedly be used to pay for her brother's college tuition. However, when he broke that promise, the alleged victim reportedly decided to come forward with her story.

According to the New York Post, the accuser lived in the same building as the Porzingis and investigators are calling her story "believable." According to ESPN, the woman may have wanted a more-than-friends relationship with the former Knicks center, though. Obtained text messages and emails between her and Porzingis, as well as the Knicks, are interpreted as a woman wanting a romantic relationship with Porzingis following the alleged attack.

Porzingis has since been traded to the Dallas Mavericks and team owner Mark Cuban says the team has been told by federal authorities not to comment on the allegations. However, the Mavs player's attorney, Roland G. Riopelle, has made a statement on his client's behalf.

"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," the statement reads.

Riopelle has since been in contact with ESPN saying he was contacted by the New York County District Attorney's office about the allegations and plans to "cooperate fully" with the investigation.

"We have been contacted by the district attorney's office, and we are cooperating fully with their investigation," the attorney told the outlet through a spokesman. "We have agreed to provide the district attorney's office with the materials 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."

It's been reported that the NYPD's Special Victims Division is taking over the case.

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