Harvey Weinstein Expected to Turn Himself In to NYPD This Friday, to Face Possible Rape Charges
Harvey Weinstein, former Hollywood producer disgraced by many allegations of sexual harassment and improper behavior, is now expected to turn himself to New York authorities on Friday morning, May 25. Once in custody, he is to answer on charges of rape, according to a report by CNN.
A source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN that prosecutors in Manhattan will be charging Weinstein with rape charges, on top of an ongoing investigation for sex-related crimes in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
The disgraced mogul is now expected to turn himself in, a report that Weinstein's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment on as of this time. Prosecutors will be pressing charges for first and third-degree rape in at least two cases, one of which involved Weinstein forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
One of the criminal charges will be for accusations from Lucia Evans, who told investigators from the Manhattan district attorney's office of her encounter with Weinstein during a casting meeting at the Miramax office in TriBeCa, according to the New York Times.
Weinstein allegedly forced Evans to perform oral sex on him during their meeting. Another case has an anonymous victim accusing Weinstein of rape. The ex-producer reported agreed to surrender himself at a police precinct on Friday, according to law enforcement officials.
From there, he will likely be arraigned on the charges at the Manhattan Criminal Court. There was a bail package negotiated in advance of his surrender, where Weinstein is supposed to put up $1 million in cash in exchange for temporary release from custody.
He is then supposed to wear a monitoring device, have his passport surrendered and his movements restricted.
For now, Weinstein's representative has "unequivocally denied" the dozens of allegations of assault, sexual misconduct and rape against the former producer. These stories from more than 80 women helped bring about the #MeToo movement, named after the social media hashtag that has become a banner for victims of sexual harassment to rally under.
The movement, which gained mainstream prominence in October last year after the allegations against Weinstein, has gone on to spread outside of the Hollywood industry. According to Tarana Burke, civil rights activist from The Bronx who started the movement, this new development marks an escalation for their advocacy.
"This moves from the court of public of opinion into an actual courtroom," she explained to Variety over a phone interview.
"For those people for whom criminal justice is the how they want to seek justice, to see it actually happen, I think is a big deal," Burke added. "We might be looking at a shift in the way cases of sexual violence are actually dealt with," she added, calling this new development "super cathartic" for those who were victims of Weinstein, as well as those who were victimized in their other workplaces as well.
