Summary: Harvey Weinstein was arrested on Friday for rape charges.
On Friday, disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was arrested on charges of first- and third-degree rape and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree, according to CNN. He has pled not guilty to the charges and is out on a $1 million bail.
Last year, The New York Times ran a story that documented how Weinstein had allegedly sexually harassed numerous women throughout his illustrious decades-long career. The article prompted dozens of other women to come forward, including Mira Sorvino and Asia Argento, and these women said that he had engaged in sexual misconduct, ranging from lewd requests to actual rape.
This week, the New York Police Department announced that Weinstein would be arrested on Friday, and he was taken in from his home. He was indicted from two incidents that occurred in 2013 and 2004 from two separate women. Weinstein has denied the crimes, maintaining that his relationships were consensual.
“Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual behavior with anyone. Nothing about today’s proceedings changes Mr. Weinstein’s position. He has entered a plea of not guilty and fully expects to be exonerated,” Weinstein’s attorney Benjamin Brafman said.
The charges against Weinstein stemmed from an incident that occurred in 2004 with actress Lucia Evans. She said that the Weinstein Company founder forced her to perform oral sex on him in his Tribeca office, and she came forward with her story last fall.
“Harvey Weinstein’s arrest came to pass as a result of our client’s bravery in coming forward and the tenacity of law enforcement,” Evan’s lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, said. “The arrest and future trial of Harvey Weinstein is but one victory in the war against sexual violence. Believe victims.”
Weinstein is out on bail, and as part of his agreement with the DA’s office, he must wear a GPS monitoring system and surrender his passport. He is allowed to travel within New York state and Connecticut, and he has been ordered to not contact his alleged victims.
“We intend to move very quickly to dismiss these charges,” Brafman told reporters outside the courthouse. “We believe that they are constitutionally flawed. We believe that they are not factually supported by the evidence, and we believe that at the end of the process Mr. Weinstein will be exonerated.”
CNN stated that a New York grand jury is hearing four other women’s stories and other charges may be filed. Weinstein is also being investigated in Los Angeles and London.
The New York Times article blew up a pre-existing campaign called #MeToo, where victims of sexual misconduct came forward to share their stories. This movement outed numerous men in power such as NBC’s Matt Lauer and celebrity chef Mario Batali. These men either resigned or were terminated from their high-profile positions.
Actress Rose McGowan was vocal about Weinstein’s predatory nature, and she said on Thursday that the producer was finally being held accountable.
“I, and so many of Harvey Weinstein’s survivors, had given up hope that our rapist would be held accountable by law. Twenty years ago, I swore that I would right this wrong. Today we are one step closer to justice,” McGowan said to The Hollywood Reporter. “We were young women who were assaulted by Weinstein and later terrorized by his vast network of complicity. I stand with my fellow survivors. May this give hope to all victims and survivors everywhere that are telling their truths.”
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