Harvey Weinstein to Turn Himself in to Police
Harvey Weinstein is expected to turn himself in to authorities in New York Friday following a lengthy investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct, The New York Times reports.
While it is not yet clear what specific charges Weinstein will face, he will reportedly be charged in connection to at least one accuser, Lucia Evans, who claims Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office launched an investigation into Weinstein after dozens of women accused him of sexual harassment, intimidation and rape last year. It’s unclear if authorities plan to bring any other charges in relation to his numerous other victims. Prosecutors have reportedly also been investigating allegations that Weinstein raped actress Paz de la Huerta in her New York home in 2010. Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment to the New York Times.
Evans first accused Weinstein of sexual assault in The New Yorker last October. At the time of the alleged incident, she was a student and an aspiring actress, and she said Weinstein assaulted her during a business meeting. “I said, over and over, ‘I don’t want to do this, stop, don’t,'” she recalled. “I tried to get away, but maybe I didn’t try hard enough. I didn’t want to kick him or fight him.” Ultimately, Evans said, Weinstein “overpowered me… I just sort of gave up. That’s the most horrible part of it, and that’s why he’s been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like it’s their fault.”
Along with his looming arrest, Weinstein is also facing a lawsuit from actress Ashley Judd, who has accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and defamation. Prosectors in Los Angeles and police in London have also been investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein.