Patrick Kane Sex Assault Investigation News Update: NHL Star's Accuser Plans to Cooperate in 'Hoax' Bag Probe
The new attorney for the woman accusing Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane of sexual assault says his client plans to cooperate with authorities investigating the emergence of an evidence bag, which prosecutors have deemed a "hoax" specifically tied to the alleged victim's mother.
In a letter released to the Chicago Tribune Saturday, Buffalo-based attorney Roland Cercone refuted recent hints made by Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, which led to widespread speculation his client was not willing to answer questions related to the alleged hoax.
"For the record, no one has asked to speak to the complainant regarding the latest incident," Cercone wrote in a letter published by the Tribune. "I suspect this is so because their investigation has already revealed that she had no knowledge of -- or anything to do with -- this entire fiasco."
But, if the day ever arises when investigators would like to speak with his client about the incident, Cercone pronounced her "ready, willing, and able to cooperate."
The alleged victim's former attorney Thomas Eoannou recently held a press conference, in which he alleged that the bag in question once contained the rape kit administered to his client. Eoannou claimed the bag had been mysteriously planted at the doorstep of his client's mother.
Within hours, Sedita held his own press conference, where he deemed the bag to be an "elaborate hoax" by the accuser's mother, adding that evidence had not been compromised. Soon after, Eoannou quit the case and admitted he no longer believed the story.
"Not much surprises me after thirty years of practice, including years as the chief prosecutor in the sex offense unit of the Erie County District Attorney's office," Cercone's letter continued. "However, the misrepresentations this case has generated have reached the point of indeed being a circus."
Meanwhile, Sedita claims the bag was given to the 21-year-old woman's mother to store some of her possessions, when she initially accompanied her daughter to the hospital for a rape kit test on Aug. 2. The accuser's mother is the last known person to have the bag.
"The evidence in the case wasn't tampered with nor was it compromised," Sedita said. The area's top prosecutor added he does not anticipate criminal charges to be filed stemming from the alleged fraud because it is not against the law to lie to a private attorney.
As for the ongoing criminal probe, Sedita added, "The question in my mind isn't when this case goes to a grand jury ... it's if this case goes to a grand jury."
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