Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
New sex crimes charges againstHarvey Weinsteinwere announced in California on Monday, coinciding with the start of a New York trial in which the disgraced movie mogul is accused of sexually assaulting two women and faces life in prison if convicted.
On Feb. 18, 2013, according to the news release, Weinstein allegedly went to a hotel “and raped a woman after pushing his way inside her room,” the DA’s office alleges. The next evening he allegedly assaulted a woman at a hotel suite in Beverly Hills.
Neither of the two alleged victims was identified, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the DA’s office.
But almost none of the more than 80 women to have come forward about Weinstein’s alleged behavior will be heard in court. Instead, the charges there against him — two counts of rape, one count of criminal sexual act and two counts of predatory sexual assault — are based on the accusations of only two women, according toThe Washington Post.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to the New York charges. The California charges carry a separate penalty of 28 years in state prison if he is later convicted there.
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And ahead of the trial that will unfold in a Manhattan courtroom, 25 women — not including those whose accusations will be heard at trial — issued a statement Friday saying the trial is “critical to show that predatorseverywherewill be held accountable,” reports thePost.
“Thanks to the courage of so many women who risked everything to come forward — this ugly facade came down and [Weinstein] finally faced a public and professional reckoning for his actions,” said the statement.
Nicholas Hunt/Getty; Alexander Koerner/Getty
Weinstein’s downfall began with a pair of investigations published in October 2017.
First, reportersJodi Kantor and Megan Twoheypublished a feature inThe New York Timesin which eight women, including the actressAshley Judd,accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault.
Actresses who have spoken out about Weinstein includeRose McGowan,Annabella Sciorra,Gwyneth Paltrow,Angelina Jolie,Jennifer AnistonandDaryl Hannah.
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In the wake of the reports, Weinstein’s studio — which he founded with his brother and business partner, Bob — filed for bankruptcy in March 2018. He and his wife,Georgina Chapman, also divorced.
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Bob Weinstein told the book’s authors that he mistakenly believed his brother’s problems were related to sex addiction and eventually stopped trying to address them.
“I got worn out,” he told Kantor and Twohey. “I said, ‘I surrender,’ see?”
“Bob long believed that Harvey was a sex addict engaged in persistent philandering, and, therefore, Bob repeatedly implored his brother to seek treatment from a doctor who specialized in sex addiction, including in the 2015 letter, as well as after he wrote that letter, which also addressed Harvey’s behavior toward Bob and his verbal abuse of others,” Bob’s attorney said in a statement provided toThe Wrap. “Although Harvey promised Bob he would heed his advice and get the help Bob believed he needed, he apparently never did.”
The New Yorker‘s Farrow also followed up his reporting on Weinstein with a book,Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.
Prior to his criminal trial, Weinstein has been free on a$1 million bail with GPS monitoring, according to theLos Angeles Times.
source: people.com
