Report: Knicks told Mavericks that Kristaps Porzingis faced 'extortion' attempt, not rape allegation

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/kristaps-porzingis-rape-allegations-dallas-mavericks-new-york-knicks-231817050.html



Report: Knicks told Mavericks that Kristaps Porzingis faced 'extortion' attempt, not rape allegation



Jack Baer, Yahoo Sports
17 hours ago



A day after news broke that Kristaps Porzingis was being investigated by the New York Police Department over a rape allegation, the Mavericks are now disputing what they were and were not told as they negotiated a blockbuster trade for the star.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported Saturday that the New York Knicks informed the Mavericks of the rape allegation, and that the NBA league office was also aware of the situation.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavericks disputed this, saying they were only told of an extortion attempt against the forward during a conference call with league officials to finalize the trade:

"The word that was used was 'extortion,'" one of the sources told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday.

"The word 'rape' was never used, only 'extortion,'" the second source told The News.

The Knicks also reportedly said that they were “convinced” Porzingis was telling the truth:

One of the sources said that the Knicks told the Mavericks during the call that they had known of the alleged extortion attempt, but were convinced that Porzingis was telling the truth. The Mavericks also were told that the FBI was investigating, and the nature of the investigation.

Porzingis is accused of visiting a neighbor’s apartment around 2 a.m. and inviting her to his apartment on Feb. 7 2018, the same night he tore his ACL and ended his season. Once there, he allegedly “held her down and raped her.”

The woman reportedly made the allegation on Thursday and is considered both credible and “believable.” However, she also reportedly admitted to police that she discussed a $68,000 payment in “hush money” with Porzingis, that she planned to use to pay her brother’s college tuition. Per the report, Porzingis reneged on the agreement.


What did the Dallas Mavericks know when they acquired Kristaps Porzingis? (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)


Porzingis’ lawyer released a statement Saturday saying the Porzingis and his camp “unequivocally deny the allegations.” He also said that they formally referred the matter to federal law enforcement on Dec. 20, 2018 based on what he called “the accuser’s extortionate demands.”

Tim MacMahon

@espn_macmahon
· Mar 30, 2019
Story on Kristaps Porzingis rape allegation reported by ⁦@nypost⁩  https://es.pn/2TGEqR2


Report: Porzingis accused of rape in New York
The New York Post is reporting that a woman told police this week that ex-Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis raped her last year. Porzingis' attorney say they "unequivocally deny the allegations."

espn.com

Tim MacMahon

@espn_macmahon
Statement from Kristaps Porzingis’ attorney Roland G. Riopelle, obtained by @IanBegley: pic.twitter.com/gHVjk3RfP3

903
5:12 PM - Mar 30, 2019




That semantic dispute over whether the Mavericks were told of the rape allegations or just the extortion attempt likely matters quite a bit as the situation plays out, though the Mavericks clearly knew something was hanging over the head of the player they were acquiring and going through with the deal without investigating it would at least partially be on them.

Per ESPN’s Royce Young, Porzingis is not with the Mavericks during this team’s current road trip, thought that absence was already scheduled according to head coach Rick Carlisle.


bob
MY NOTE:  Oh what a tangled web we weave...I'm not a lawyer but it sure doesn't sound like a "semantic dispute" here, it sounds like fraud.  An attempt to extort someone may or may not be well-founded, it might be complete poppycock or merely the threat to reveal an embarrassment from someone's past but an accusation of rape is serious and, if true, a felony people are prosecuted for committing everyday in this country.  It's not the type of thing that you forget to mention because it "just slipped your mind".  It is an integral, inalienable part of what the extortion revolves around and leaving it out of any business discussions and transactions, like an NBA trade, is a material matter that makes litigators drool.

fraud
/frôd/
noun
wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
"he was convicted of fraud"
synonyms: fraudulence, sharp practice, cheating, swindling, trickery, artifice, deceit, deception, double-dealing, duplicity, treachery, chicanery, skulduggery, imposture, embezzlement; More
a person or thing intended to deceive others, typically by unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities.
"mediums exposed as tricksters and frauds"


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