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Mateen Cleaves under investigation in alleged sexual assault

October 23, 2015

Updated Oct. 29 at 1:15 p.m.

Neither the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office, which originally held the case, nor the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office have released information on the sexual assault case this week.

An attorney for Cleaves told the Detroit Free Press that he was disturbed the case was made public last week.

“I’m very disturbed that this information was prematurely presented to the public and I would ask that everybody reserve any judgment on Mateen Cleaves until all the facts are presented,” Frank Manley, a longtime attorney for Cleaves, told the Free Press.

Other minor details of the case suggest it occurred within 45 days ago in a township southwest of Flint.


Former MSU basketball player Mateen Cleaves is under investigation for his role in an alleged sexual assault in Genesee County, according to MLive, citing prosecutors.

Director of communications for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office told MLive her staff was being transferred the case from Genesee County for a possible sexual assault.

Details have not yet been revealed and the case is still under investigation.

The case is being handled in Wayne County because Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said his family has a relationship with a witness in the case and after seeking an outside opinion was advised to recuse himself. 

MLive reports Cleaves has no previous convictions of serious misdemeanors or felonies, citing Michigan State Police records, although he was previously under investigation for drunk driving, which he pleaded down to careless driving. In college, he faced charges that were eventually dropped for stealing beer.

After playing for Flint Northern High School, he came to MSU and played with the team that won the 2000 NCAA men's basketball championship and was twice named Big Ten Player of the Year.

He later played for the NBA for the Detroit Pistons and was traded out of state a number of times before joining Fox Sports Detroit and the CBS Sports Network.

Check back at statenews.com for updates on the case.

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