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| Harvey Weinstein smiled as two officials escort him, handcuffed, to a car after he was charged with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct in incidents on two separate women. (Reuters) |
Disgraced Hollywood movie mogul, Harvey
Weinstein was charged with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and
sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women after
turning himself in to the New York City Police Department on Friday.
A frail-looking Weinstein appeared
before Judge Kevin McGrath with his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, at his
side when the terms of his bail were discussed. Weinstein is facing
more than 37 years behind bars. His lawyer told reporters outside the
courthouse Weinstein "intends to enter a plea of not guilty."
"Mr. Weinstein has always
maintained that any sexual activity he engaged in was consensual,"
his lawyer said adding that bad behavior is not on trial. "Mr.
Weinstein did not invent the casting couch in Hollywood."
Prosecutors asked for Weinstein to
surrender his passport and agree to a GPS monitoring device. He
posted $1 million bail in cash, his lawyer said.
Weinstein is not allowed to travel
outside of New York and Connecticut. He will have to decide by May 30
if he will testify or not.
Weinstein smiled as he walked out of
the NYPD’s 1st Precinct in handcuffs early Friday and was escorted
by two officials to the courthouse.
His lawyer said the 66-year-old is
doing "as well as can be expected when you are accused of a
crime that you have vehemently denied having committed."
The former Hollywood powerhouse is
facing more than three decades in jail. The criminal sex act in the
first degree charge carries up to 25 years in jail; the first degree
sexual abuse charge carries up to seven years in jail; the third
degree criminal sexual act charge carries up to four years in jail
and the sexual misconduct and third degree sexual abuse charges carry
up to one year and three months respectively.
Weinstein will be required to undergo
HIV testing, by law, should his victims request it.
The NYPD detailed Weinstein's pending
charges in a statement released to Fox News.
"The NYPD thanks these brave
survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice. The
arrest and ensuing charges are the result of a joint investigation
between the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office,"
the statement said. "Additional information will be provided as
it becomes available."
A law enforcement official told The
Associated Press that the criminal sex act charges stem from a 2004
encounter between Weinstein and an aspiring actress. She has said he
forced her to perform oral sex. The official says the rape charge
relates to a woman who has not spoken publicly. Prosecutors in court
on Friday said both parties agreed to keep the anonymous victim's
name sealed under an order of protection. When Weinstein arrived at the precinct
on Friday, he didn’t reply as news crews that were staked out in
the area called out his name. He wore a blue V-neck sweater with a
blazer and dress pants as he walked inside. Weinstein carried several
books with him, one of which was "Something Wonderful: Rodgers
and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution" by Todd S. Purdum.
On Thursday, news broke that the star
was going to face the music. Since his downfall in late 2017, he’s
been spending time in a treatment facility in Arizona.
Allegations against Weinstein first
came out in two bombshell reports in October, in which multiple women
accused him of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape. More than
80 women have accused him of misconduct.
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