Former Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein on Friday turned himself in to police in New York, where he likely will face serious charges connected to sexual assault of at least two women.
More than 100 reporters, cameramen and photographers were on hand as Weinstein made the perp walk at the New York Police Department’s 1st Precinct in Lower Manhattan. Weinstein, 66, “stepped from a black SUV wearing a blazer and carrying books under his arm, and lumbered into a Manhattan police station before a crowd of news cameras. He didn’t respond to shouts of ‘Harvey!'” the Associated Press reported.
After several accusations ranging from inappropriate touching to rape emerged against Weinstein last year, dozens of women came out to join the barrage. The chorus grew by the day — more than 75 women have now accused the former movie producer — but Weinstein escaped criminal charges. Until now.
On what charges he’ll face, the AP said:
The exact charges against Weinstein still had not been made public early Friday. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press the case will include allegations by Lucia Evans, an aspiring actress who has said the Hollywood mogul forced her to perform oral sex on him in his office. She was among the first women to speak out about the producer.
One official said it’s likely the case also will include at least one other victim who has not come forward publicly.
The officials spoke Thursday to the AP on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the investigation.
Weinstein was expected to be charged at least with criminal sexual act, a crime that carries up to 25 years in prison, the officials said.
In an interview with The New Yorker last October, Evans said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him during a meeting in his office in 2004. At the time, she was a rising senior at Middlebury College.
“I said, over and over, ’I don’t want to do this, stop, don’t,’” she said. “I tried to get away, but maybe I didn’t try hard enough. I didn’t want to kick him or fight him.”
“Actress Rose McGowan said Weinstein raped her in 1997 in Utah, ‘Sopranos’ actress Annabella Sciorra said he raped her in her New York apartment in 1992 and Norwegian actress Natassia Malthe said he attacked her in a London hotel room in 2008,” the AP said.
Just last weekend at the Cannes film festival, actress Asia Argento delivered an intense speech before presenting the best actress award, telling a horrific story about Weinstein.
“I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes. I was 21 years old. This festival was his hunting ground,” Argento said.
Rose McGowan, one of the leaders of the #MeToo movement, said on “Good Morning America” that she feels “shocked. I would say it’s just so big.”
“I have to admit I didn’t think I would see the day that he would have handcuffs on him,” she said. “I have a visceral need for him to have handcuffs on.”