Model’s rape claim falls apart after bogus pregnancy charge
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Alesia Riabenkova has appeared on the covers of Glamour and Elle magazines, among others.
A Manhattan model who once dated actor Gerard Butler brought rape charges against a fashion photographer — but the case fell apart when she claimed he got her pregnant and a DNA test proved he was not the father, The Post has learned.
Latvian-born stunner Alesia Riabenkova, who has done work for Guess and graced the covers of Glamour and Elle magazines, met the lensman at a Long Island City lounge in October to discuss her struggling career.
The two chatted over champagne about a potential photo shoot and then went back to his condo in a nearby luxury high-rise.
About 45 minutes later, Riabenkova told a doorman she had been raped by the photographer and asked him to call 911, said his lawyer, Tom Kenniff.
Police arrested the lensman, and he spent a night behind bars. Prosecutors soon downgraded the charge to sexual misconduct because they found holes in her story and her rape kit tested inconclusive, Kenniff said.
Then, in January 2015, Riabenkova made a shocking claim — telling prosecutors she was impregnated during the alleged rape and wanted an abortion.
The DA’s Office told the clinic to preserve the biological material, and Kenniff immediately asked for a DNA test.
The results proved his client was not the father, and on May 15 the case was thrown out and sealed.
Riabenkova, 22, refused to talk to a Post reporter on Friday at her swanky Flatiron building, saying through a doorman that she was “sick.”
Asked whether his client would file a civil suit against the catwalk stunner, Kenniff said, “We are exploring all options.”
“She tried to destroy my client’s life, and she should be punished for it,” Kenniff, railed about Riabenkova, who will not face false-report charges.
Kenniff — who said his client fooled around with the model but did not have sex with her — said she appeared completely calm in the elevator ride down and in the lobby after making the allegation.
“The surveillance footage showed her sipping from a water bottle in the lobby without a care in the world while waiting for the police to arrive,” Kenniff charged.
Additional reporting by Ben Feuerherd
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