Harvey Weinstein Indicted On Rape & Criminal Sex Act Charges

Harvey Weinstein was indicted Wednesday on rape and legal intercourse act fees, furthering the primary legal case to come up from a slate of sexual misconduct allegations in opposition to the previous film mogul. Manhattan District Lawyer Cyrus R. Vance Jr. mentioned the indictment brings Weinstein “one other step nearer to accountability” for alleged assaults on two girls in New York. Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, mentioned he would “vigorously defend” in opposition to the indictment and ask a courtroom to dismiss it. He referred to as the allegations “unsupported” and reiterated that Weinstein strongly denies them. WATCH: Harvey Weinstein Set To Give up Himself To Authorities In New York Metropolis  The indictment got here hours after Weinstein’s lawyer mentioned the movie producer would decline to testify earlier than the grand jury as a result of there wasn’t sufficient time to arrange him and “political strain” made an indictment unavoidable. “No matter how compelling Mr. Weinstein’s private testimony may be, an indictment was inevitable because of the unfair political strain being positioned on Cy Vance to safe a conviction of Mr. Weinstein,” the assertion mentioned. Weinstein, 66, realized of the precise fees and the accusers’ identities solely after turning himself in Friday, in response to his attorneys. Brafman mentioned that with a deadline set for Wednesday afternoon for Weinstein to testify or not, prosecutors denied his request for extra time. Vance mentioned the Weinstein camp’s “current assault on the integrity of the survivors and the authorized course of is predictable.” “We’re assured that when the jury hears the proof, it’s going to reject these assaults out of hand,” Vance mentioned in an announcement. Weinstein was charged Friday with raping one lady and committing a legal intercourse act by compelling oral intercourse from one other. A grand jury continued listening to proof within the case, because it had been doing for weeks. Defendants have the proper to testify in a grand jury’s secret proceedings however typically do not, for numerous causes. Freed on $1 million bail and digital monitoring, he’s due again in courtroom July 30, although that date might now be moved up in mild of the indictment. Past the 2 girls concerned within the case, dozens extra girls have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct starting from harassment to assault in numerous locales. WATCH: Rose McGowan, Asia Argento & Extra React To Harvey Weinstein’s Arrest  He has denied all allegations of nonconsensual intercourse, and Brafman mentioned Tuesday that Weinstein was “assured he will clear his title” within the New York prosecution. Brafman referred to as the rape allegation “absurd,” saying that the accuser and Weinstein had a decade-long, consensual sexual relationship that started earlier than and continued after the alleged 2013 assault. The lady, who hasn’t been recognized publicly, instructed investigators that Weinstein confined her in a lodge room and raped her. The opposite accuser within the case, former actress Lucia Evans, has gone public along with her account of Weinstein forcing her to carry out oral intercourse at his workplace in 2004. The Related Press doesn’t establish alleged victims of sexual assaults except they arrive ahead publicly. Vance, a Democrat, got here beneath public strain from girls’s teams to prosecute Weinstein after declining to take action in 2015, when an Italian mannequin went to police to say Weinstein had groped her throughout a gathering. Police arrange a sting during which the lady recorded herself confronting Weinstein and him apologizing for his conduct. However Vance determined there wasn’t sufficient proof to convey fees. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, additionally a Democrat, ordered the state legal professional normal to research how Vance dealt with that matter. http://feeds.accesshollywood.com/~r/AccessHollywood/LatestNews/~3/dxUCHBpFk0M/