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Harvey Weinstein Facing Life in Prison After Indictment on Three More Sexual Assault Charges
This is getting ugly. Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to the New York police department the morning of Friday, May 25, and was subsequently arrested on charges that he raped one woman and forced another to perform oral sex on him, a source told CNN. And now, he’s been indicted for three more sexual assault charges, Manhattan D.A. Cyrus R. Vance Jr announced on Monday, July 2.
“A Manhattan Grand Jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s Penal Law,” he said in a statement. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.” He was hit with two counts of predatory assault (which carries a minimum 10-year sentence to a maximum life imprisonment) and a criminal sexual act in the first degree.
Harvey and his lawyer.
This means Harvey now has six charges against him. However, Harvey plans to plead “not guilty” to these new ones (he pleaded “not guilty” in May and was released on a $1 million bail), his lawyer told E! News in a new interview. “Mr. Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false and he expects to be fully vindicated,” Ben Brafman said. “Furthermore, to charge Mr. Weinstein as a predator when the interactions were each consensual is simply not justified.”
The NYPD previously released a statement in late May regarding the 66-year-old’s scandal. “Today, at the NYPD’s 1st Precinct, Harvey Weinstein was arrested, processed, and charged with Rape, Criminal Sex Act, Sex Abuse and Sexual Misconduct for incidents involving two separate women. The NYPD thanks these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice. The arrest and ensuing charges are the result of a joint investigation between the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Harvey arrived at the scene in May swarmed with paparazzi — but that time it wasn’t for a red carpet appearance like he’s used to. In his hands were the two novels Elia Kazan: A Biography and Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution. He wore a light blue sweater with a white collared shirt underneath and a navy blue blazer as well as a pair of dark jeans.
Last fall, dozens of women came forward to accuse Harvey of sexual harassment, including well-known stars like Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, and Gwyneth Paltrow. This opened up the door for the #MeToo movement, which brought down more of Hollywood’s leading men including Matt Lauer, Mario Batali, and Morgan Freeman.
Harvey previously issued an apology statement but didn’t exactly admit to any of the sexual assault (and sometimes rape) claims against him back in October. “I came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then. I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office — or out of it. To anyone,” he said at the time. “I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person, and my interactions with the people I work with have changed. I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.”
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