Former Dallas star Mike Ribeiro pleads guilty to indecent assault for the 2021 East Texas attack

Former Dallas Stars center Mike Ribeiro pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of groping a woman at an East Texas lake in 2021.

Ribeiro, who played six seasons with the Stars, was charged with three alleged attacks at Lake Cypress Springs in Franklin County, about 100 miles east of Dallas. He was acquitted of two sexual assault charges in a February trial, and a judge declared the trial a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on a third charge of attempted sexual assault.

The agreement came as jury selection was set to begin for Ribeiro’s retrial on the outstanding attempted sexual assault charge.

According to a news release, Ribeiro was convicted of indecent assault and sentenced to one day in jail and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine plus court fees. Attempted sexual assault is a felony and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

“I want to thank all the women who endured unimaginable trials and had the courage to stand up for the truth against powerful men,” District Attorney Will Ramsay said in a statement. “In this case, the young lady was once again willing to place herself on the altar of truth in the name of justice.”

Ribeiro’s attorney did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

According to testimony at his trial in February, Ribeiro was accused of raping a woman on his speedboat, digitally penetrating another woman and attempting to assault a third woman on June 23, 2021, at the lake where he once owned a vacation home.

The Dallas Morning News usually does not name those who allege sexual assault.

The woman who said Ribeiro tried to attack her said she was riding a WaveRunner with Ribeiro when he put his hand under her life jacket and bikini top and groped her breast. She said she elbowed Ribeiro and told him not to touch her. Minutes later, Ribeiro put his hand on her leg, pulled up her swimsuit and groped her, she said.

Ribeiro’s guilty plea means he admitted touching the woman without her consent.

“Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a decision,” the woman told Ribeiro in court on Monday. “Although I have forgiven you, I can only pray that the others affected will choose to do the same, not for you, but for themselves.”

The criminal proceedings are not the first time that Ribeiro has been accused of sexual assault; A former nanny sued him and his wife in 2015, claiming he assaulted her in 2012.

Ribeiro played half a dozen seasons for the Montreal Canadiens before moving to Dallas in 2006. He made an All-Star team with the Stars in 2008 and led the team in points for three seasons. Ribeiro later played for the Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes and Nashville Predators before retiring in 2017.