Prosecutors on the case of Keith Hartigan, Colorado real estate magnate accused of first degree rape, announced Friday that they won’t be moving forward with the charges.
The case ensued from a boozy February night at the Standard Hotel, in the wake of which, a 31-year-old Citibank executive claimed he raped her while she slept in his room.
"After fully investigating this allegation and interviewing the witnesses involved, there are no provable criminal charges," prosecutor Alexandra Murphy said, adding "it's actually unclear whether a crime was committed."
According to the prosecutor, the accuser also did not "wish to pursue this matter any further.”
Hartigan, whose dealing with lavish Aspen properties as awarded him the title the broker-to-the-stars, was not present when the present when the case dismissal was announced in a Manhattan Criminal Court Friday morning.
The real estate mogul, 37, was arrested on Feb. 1 after the purported 4:30 a.m. attack but he was not immediately indicted because the Manhattan DA's office was probing the case.
His attorney, Edward Sapone, said there were two surveillance videos and an eyewitness account from a friend who shared a room with Hartigan that "would have exonerated" the real estate big.
"This accusation has cost him a lot not only financially but also emotionally," Sapone said. "He is thankful that his name is now cleared and he can now return to his life."
Hartigan, his travel buddy, and the accuser met at 675 Bar in the Meatpacking District and the party went back to their room at the swanky inn.
The evidence "shows consenting adults interacting in a positive way without any wrongdoing afoot," the lawyer said, declining to discuss specifics about any encounter.
"It was crystal clear no crime whatever occurred that night," Sapone added.
If the case had proceeded and Hartigan convicted, the real estate mogul was up to a sentence that could amount to 25 in prison.
