Engineering professor Yiming Deng was found not guilty on three charges of criminal sexual conduct.
Deng was found not guilty on two counts of criminal sexual conduct of the second degree by a jury on March 17. He was also found not guilty by the judge directly on his remaining charge, criminal sexual conduct of the first degree, on March 16.
In an email to The State News, Deng said he was falsely accused of criminal sexual conduct "based on lies and revenge from an individual with whom (he) sought to end a platonic relationship."
"The past 18 months have been incredibly challenging for me and my family as we fought against these false accusations," Deng said in the email. "I am, in fact, the true victim in this situation and hope that such an ordeal never happens to another member of the Spartan Community."
Deng was placed on administrative leave from the university on Sept. 30, 2021. He said in the email that he is looking forward to "rejoining the Spartan Nation with (his) head held high."
Resources for students and survivors of sexual assault are available through the MSU Center for Survivors, Counseling and Psychiatric Services and the University Ombudsperson.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article listed an outdated charge against Deng, due to incorrect online court documents which have since been updated.
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