Chinese Billionaire Won't Be Charged With Sexual Assault

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — No charges will be filed against Chinese businessman Liu Qiangdong for an alleged sexual assault, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday. County investigators determined there were "profound evidentiary problems" that would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“As is the case in many sexual assault incidents, it was a complicated situation,” Freeman said in a statement.

“It is also similar to other sexual assault cases with the suspect maintaining the sex was consensual. As we reviewed surveillance video, text messages, police body camera video and witness statements, it became clear that we could not meet our burden of proof and, therefore, we could not bring charges. Because we do not want to re-victimize the young woman, we will not be going into detail.”

Liu, 45, was in Minneapolis as part of a program at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. On Aug. 30, he and a large number of friends and associates went to dinner at an Uptown restaurant.

One of the people invited to the dinner was a 21-year-old woman. After dinner, the woman rode with Liu and others to a home on Franklin Avenue and eventually to her apartment near the university later that evening.

After several hours, in the early morning of Aug. 31, a fellow student and friend of the woman’s, called the police. Officers arrived at the woman’s apartment where they spoke to her and to Liu.

Based on the information they learned from the woman that night, officers ended the call and took Liu back to his hotel. Liu was arrested later that day at the University of Minnesota, according to a news release.

Authorities say portions of the evidence in this case included conversations and messages in Mandarin. The substance of those conversations, along with all of the other evidence including statements from the woman and others and footage from multiple surveillance cameras, do not support criminal charges in this case, officials announced Friday.

The attorney’s office said the three months it took to review the case and make a decision is not unusual for a sexual assault case, especially one in which no one is in custody.

"It had nothing to do with Liu’s status as a wealthy, foreign businessman," the office said. "Nor did the county attorney’s office consider rumors involving Liu or the victim after the investigation was complete."

Photo: Richard Qiangdong Liu, founder, chairman and CEO of JD.com celebrates after JD.com has it's initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq exchange on May 22, 2014 in New York City. JD.com is a popular online Chinese retail site. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)