The investigation into a sexual assault allegation against a Chinese e-commerce tycoon has been turned over to prosecutors by Minneapolis police.
Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu, was arrested in Minneapolis on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct Aug. 31 and was released a day later.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Thursday that prosecutors will now review the police investigative findings and decide whether to bring charges. No deadline was set for the decision.
Liu is the founder of JD.com, China’s biggest online direct retailer. JD.com said in a statement online after his arrest that he was falsely accused and police found no misconduct.
The company said Liu returned to Beijing days after his arrest. A police report said the charge stemmed from a felony rape accusation.
Liu was in Minneapolis attending a weeklong executive degree program geared toward high-level executives in China at the University of Minnesota from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1.
JD.com is the equivalent of Amazon.com, FedEx and Visa combined and attracts high-level investors and partners.
In June, Google agreed to invest $550 million in the company while Tencent owns a 20 percent stake and Walmart owns almost 10 percent — merging its own struggling China online operation into JD.com.
The alleged rape victim is reportedly a Chinese University of Minnesota student, according to the Wall Street Journal.