Harvey Weinstein Charged With Rape and Sexual Abuse

Harvey Weinstein Perp Walk on Friday, May 25, 2018. (Credit: Twitter)

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has posted bail after he was arrested Friday in New York on suspicion of rape and sexual assault charges.

Wearing a navy blue suit jacket, a light blue sweater over a white shirt and black jeans, Weinstein turned himself in to a police station around 7 a.m.

He was photographed carrying three books, including one titled Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution, as his lawyer escorted him into the New York Police Department’s 1st Precinct

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The NYPD released a statement on Weinstein’s arrest.

“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 statement said. “The NYPD thanks these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice.”

According to The Associated Press, the criminal sex act charge stems from a 2004 incident in which an aspiring actress said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex.

Two law enforcement officials identified the woman in the 2004 case to the AP as Lucia Evans, who was among the first alleged victims to go public with accusations against the movie mogul.

Attorney Carrie Goldberg, who represents Evans, called Weinstein’s arrest “an emotional moment.”

Meanwhile Weinstein’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said the movie mogul vehemently denies the allegations.

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About 90 minutes after his arrest, Weinstein was taken to Manhattan Criminal Court in handcuffs to be arraigned.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and a judge set bail at $10 million. Weinstein, 66, agreed to post $1 million cash.

He was ordered to surrender his passport and told not to travel outside the New York area without permission from the court. He also agreed to wear a GPS-enabled monitoring device.

It was a stunning fall from grace for the Oscar winner known for producing such award-winning films as Shakespeare in Love, The King’s Speech and Inglourious Basterds. 

Weinstein’s world began to unravel in October 2017, when the New York Times and The New Yorker published investigative reports saying dozens of women had accused the producer of sexual abuse over the last 30 years.

His spokeswoman, Sallie Hofmeister, said at the time: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein.”

Since last fall, Weinstein has been accused of sexually assaulting or harassing more than 80 women including actresses Salma Hayek, Mira Sorvino, Lupita Nyong’o, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rosanna Arquette, Asia Argento, Paz de la Huerta, and Ashley Judd.