Former New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis is under criminal investigation after a woman came forward with allegations of rape, claiming the star sexually assaulted her in his penthouse last year.
According to the New York Post, the woman reported the incident on Thursday, almost 14 months after the alleged assault took place. In the report, obtained by the publication, the woman, who lived in the same building as the New York star, said the baller invited her to his Manhattan penthouse on February 7, 2018, just hours after he tore his ACL.
She said upon her arrival, the baller held her down and forced himself on her, as he allegedly referred to her as “my bitch” and “my slave.” After the incident, the woman said Porzingis promised to cough up $68,000 in hush money to cover the cost of her brother’s tuition. But, when he went back on his word, she went to the police, and now the city’s Special Victims Unit is investigating the case.
However, in turn, Porzingis, who now plays for the Dallas Mavericks, “unequivocally” denied the allegations, and accused his accuser of extortion.
“We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on December 20, 2018, based on the accuser’s extortionate demands,” Porzingis’ attorney, Roland G. Riopelle said in a statement, adding that the NBA has also been notified.
But now, ESPN has obtained emails and text message to provide further information about the allegation, in addition to a handwritten agreement in which the baller allegedly agreed to the $68k payment. However, Porzingis’ attorney says the document is forged.
In the texts, which were reviewed by the publication, the baller invited the woman to his penthouse and acknowledged that he was ”drunk,” which then led to the ”extremely aggressive encounter,” according to the woman. In the handwritten note, which allegedly described the agreement between the two, the woman wrote: ”This agreement effective February 7, 2018, acknowledges the fact that an unexpected escalated sexual intercourse due to an inevitable physical attraction on the part of Kristap occurred subsequently, warrants compensation payable toward (the woman’s) siblings college tuition in the amount of $68,000….”
”Mr. Kristap willings offered several compensations to (the woman) including business investments. (The woman) ultimately settled with Mr. Kristap’s offer of a $68,000 check.”
In response to the news of the letter, which misspelled Porzingis’ name, the baller’s lawyer said it was fake, as the accuser refused to produce the original version. However, after further investigation, ESPN also learned that the woman initially reached out to the Knicks to retrieve the payment Porzingis allegedly offered her- only after she tried to pursue a relationship with the baller in the wake of the alleged incident. In that note, which was written in October, the woman said: ”I do not want to get him in any trouble with the law. I stayed back and enjoyed the rest of the time I spent with him.”
But, she also reportedly shared photos of her injuries from the alleged assault and claimed to have had to pay over $10k to repair the damage. However, the Knicks stopped communication in November, when the baller retained legal counsel.
Now, the alleged incident, as well as the extortion allegation is under investigation.
