It was the most dramatic twist to date in the downfall of the Oscar-winning producer who is facing criminal charges on multiple fronts, including in Los Angeles and London.
More than seven months after sexual misconduct allegations involving Harvey Weinstein first surfaced publicly, the disgraced mogul has turned himself into authorities at the first precinct in Manhattan on Friday. Weinstein was arrested shortly thereafter, the NYPD confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was then charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for encounters with two women, according to a statement from the NYPD, and he is expected to be arraigned later today.
It was the most dramatic twist to date in the downfall of the Oscar-winning producer, whose career began unraveling in the wake of twin exposés in the New York Times and The New Yorker that were published in October and chronicled a pattern of alleged harassment and sexual assault of both actresses and employees at Weinstein’s studios Miramax and its successor, The Weinstein Co. In the weeks that followed the reports, the scandal mushroomed to include dozens of women spanning three continents. Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Mira Sorvino, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow were among the high-profile actresses who have come forward with claims against the producer.
Wearing a white button-down shirt and light-blue sweater under a black blazer and jeans and carrying two books (one of which was Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution, by Todd S. Purdum), Weinstein entered the first precinct police station in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, just blocks away from his longtime Weinstein Co. offices. He remained silent even though the reporters, photographers and TV news crews camped outside of the police department shouted questions at him, including “What took you so long?” He appeared rested and relaxed as he stepped out of the black SUV that transported him to the police station, getting more serious as he approached the precinct steps. He was escorted out of the police station roughly 90 minutes later.
Weinstein has been facing the prospect of criminal charges on multiple fronts, including in New York, Los Angeles and London. Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in Manhattan launched a criminal probe into sex-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. That investigation is said to be focusing on whether Weinstein lured women to cross state lines under false pretenses for the purpose of commiting sex crimes. He also faces numerous civil suits filed by women claiming abuse and harassment.
In the wake of today’s move, the most pressing question is whether the judge overseeing Weinstein’s case sets bail, and if so, for how much. The 66-year-old also could be asked to relinquish his passport, given that he owns properties in other countries and could be seen as a flight risk.
Weinstein is expected to be be charged with assaulting former aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who was one of three women, along with Asia Argento, who told The New Yorker‘s Ronan Farrow in October that Weinstein had raped them.The alleged incident took place at the former Miramax offices in Tribeca in 2004. Evans told investigators that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him despite her verbal protests. According to reports, Weinstein is also expected to be charged with raping another, unnamed woman.
In a new story today, about what led to Weinstein’s surrender, Farrow wrote that Evans confirmed she was pressing charges against the disgraced mogul.
“At a certain point, you have to think about the greater good of humanity, of womankind,” she told him.
Farrow also reports that detectives began meeting with Evans and gathering evidence the day after his initial exposé was published.
Argento and Rose McGowan were among the first of Weinstein’s accusers to react to his arrest, indicating in social media posts they felt it was finally time for him to face the music, with McGowan declaring she wants to attend his trial.
The arrest ends months of speculation over whether the producer behind such Oscar best picture winners as Shakespeare in Love and The King’s Speech would be held accountable for his alleged misdeeds. He previously evaded arrest in 2014 when he was investigated by the NYPD for groping then-22-year-old Italian model Ambra Battilana. Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance decided not to pursue charges at that time, a move that has been widely criticized in the aftermath of the cascade of accusations leveled at Weinstein in late 2017. The move also angered factions of the NYPD, which had wired Battilana at the time and made a recording of an encounter between her and Weinstein in which he is heard admitting to assaulting her. That case may have proved to be the crack in armor of Weinstein, who had buffered himself with a series of legal settlements followed by non-disclosure agreements. The audio eventually made its way to then-NBC correspondent Farrow, whose reporting never saw the light at the network but was eventually used for his work in The New Yorker.
The NYPD’s Special Victims Division and Vance’s office have been conducting investigations of Weinstein’s alleged sexual assaults. Through his lawyer, Ben Brafman, he has denied any non-consensual sex.
On the professional front, Weinstein already has been toppled from his Hollywood perch. In the days following the New York Times and New Yorker articles, the Weinstein Co. board ousted Weinstein. He also has been booted from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild.
Watch video of Weinstein turning himself in below.
[embedded content]
Hilary Lewis and Jackie Strause contributed to this report.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)