Developing Report: Harvey Weinstein to Surrender To Authorities in New York
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein is expected to turn himself in to authorities Friday to face charges related to alleged sexual misconduct in connection to a probe by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and NYPD, sources told the New York Daily News.
More than 80 women who have accused Weinstein of behavior ranging from inappropriate to criminal, with requests for massages to intimidating sexual advances to rape. Among the actresses who came forward with claims against Weinstein were Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Kate Beckinsale, Rosanna Arquette, Mira Sorvino and Annabella Sciorra.
Some of the women never made criminal complaints, while other allegations could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired.
Weinstein has been under criminal investigation in connection with the allegations of two women, actress Lucia Evans and actress Paz de la Huerta.
Evans said in an interview with The New Yorker last year that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004, while de la Huerta told Vanity Fair he raped her in 2010.
EXCLUSIVE: Harvey Weinstein is set to turn himself in to face charges related to alleged sexual misconduct in connection to a probe by the Manhattan DA's office and NYPD https://t.co/hCbHFS6kbm pic.twitter.com/9OLnmPYCGV
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) May 24, 2018
Both accusations are within the statute of limitations for prosecution in New York, according to ABC News.
In addition, The New York Times reported that authorities are also investigating Weinstein for “financial improprieties” and for violating federal stalking laws against some of his female accusers.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan investigating possible financial improprieties by the disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein have broadened their inquiry to include allegations that he may have violated federal stalking laws. https://t.co/U7rC3nGu1U
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 24, 2018
Weinstein’s case was recently presented to a grand jury by prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, which declined to comment when asked by ABC News about Weinstein’s reported surrender.
Weinstein’s defense attorney, Benjamin Brafman, also declined to comment, as did the NYPD.
Weinstein has “unequivocally denied” all allegations of non-consensual sexual contact with women made against him in the past year, a spokesperson for the movie mogul said last year.
At the closing of the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, Italian actress Asia Argento — who was one of the first actresses to come forward with accusations against Weinstein last year — told the audience that Weinstein raped her at the festival more than two decades ago.
“In 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes. I was 21 years old. This festival was his hunting ground,” she said.
Argento said in her speech that the number of women who have come forward with accusations against Weinstein will keep him out of the Hollywood community in which he once wielded great power.
“I want to make a prediction: Harvey Weinstein will never be welcomed here ever again,” she said at Cannes. “He will live in disgrace, shunned by a film community that once embraced him and covered up for his crimes.”
Authorities in Los Angeles and London are also investigating some of the criminal claims made against Weinstein.
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