NEW YORK—Film mogul Harvey Weinstein surrendered to authorities in New York City on Friday, May 25, The disgraced Hollywood producer arrived at a lower Manhattan police station where he was handcuffed and shepherded into the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) 1st Precinct, with police officers on all sides. According to reports, Weinstein appeared disheveled and disoriented. He opted for a cashmere sweater and a blazer combo instead of wearing a tie.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, a few hours after surrendering, Weinstein was taken to the courthouse where he was arraigned on charges connected to “forcible sexual acts against two women in 2013 and 2004.” The arraignment was brief lasting about 10 minutes. Weinstein was charged with one count of first-degree rape, one count of third-degree rape, and a first-degree criminal sex act, all felonies.
The prosecutor described Weinstein’s acts as violent and said that their investigation revealed that he used his “position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually.”
The court set bail at $1 million cash or a $10 million bond. Weinstein paid $1 million to post bail. He exited the courtroom, he was fitted for an ankle monitor equipped with GPS. He will be confined to New York state and Connecticut.
New York District Attorney (DA), Cyrus Vance, wrote in a statement, “Today’s charges reflect significant progress in this active, ongoing investigation.” “I thank the brave survivors who have come forward and my Office’s prosecutors who have worked tirelessly on this investigation,” Vance added.
“Mr. Weinstein will enter a plea of not guilty,” said Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman. “We intend to move very quickly to dismiss these charges,” he added.
Weinstein is expected to appear in court again on July 30. Actress Annabella Sciorra, tweeted on Saturday, “I got no relief from seeing this monster walk into court.”
“If there was truly ’equal justice under the law’, Harvey Weinstein would be behind bars in Rikers today, waiting for his own day in court, not free to roam New York, his other hunting ground, wearing an ankle bracelet,” Sciorra wrote.
These charges cover Weinstein’s alleged acts of sexual misconduct that transpired in New York.
Weinstein was the head of Miramax and started The Weinstein Company with his brother Bob. The Weinstein Company fired Harvey from the company in October 2017. The Board of Directors issued the following statement in response to Harvey’s firing:
“In light of the new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company – Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar – have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately.
The New York Times broke the story in October 2017 that several former associates of Weinstein allege to have been the targets of sexual harassment by the film producer and executive. Included in that list of accusers is actress Ashley Judd, “Scream” and “Charmed” star Rose McGowan and Italian model and actress Ambra Battilana. Battilana claimed that Weinstein assaulted her in March 2015 after he invited her to his Tribeca office under the premise of assisting her film career aspirations.
The New York City Police Department opened an investigation into the incident, but the case was closed when Weinstein agreed to make an undisclosed payment to Battilana. According to reports, over the course of his career, Weinstein has reportedly reached settlements with at least eight different women regarding claims of harassment.
Weinstein has been involved in the production of numerous hit movies over the course of his career, including Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “Scream” and “Silver Linings Playbook” which star Jennifer Lawrence won a Best Actress Academy Award.
Written By Candace Buford and Casey Jacobs
