It appears that Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, the subject of dozens of sexual harassment and sexual assault accusations, will finally get his day in court—and maybe a night in jail.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance plans to present an indictment of Weinstein to a grand jury, possibly sometime next week.
The announcement comes a month after media started reporting on numerous accusations leveled at the powerful producer over the years by actresses and models for his sexually predatory behavior.
Weinstein is being investigated by police departments in London, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and New York. In addition, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has opened a civil rights inquiry of the Weinstein Company.
NYPD Prepared to Move on Rape Allegations
While DA Vance prepares his grand jury indictment, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce has approached the DA’s office seeking an arrest warrant for Weinstein based on a 7-year-old rape accusation.Boyce said at a press conference on Nov. 3 that his department had a “credible and detailed” rape allegation against Weinstein.
The complaint was made in 2010 by actress Paz de la Huerta, who claimed Weinstein raped her in her own apartment on two occasions.
Boyce said portions of her account had already been corroborated, and the specificity of detail made the claims believable.
“We have an actual case here,” Boyce told the media.
Boyce also said that if Weinstein were in New York now and the assault allegation were recent, “we’d go right away and make the arrest. No doubt.”
However, since the case was seven years old and Weinstein was holed up in an Arizona sexual-addiction treatment center, the NYPD would gather more evidence to support its request for an arrest warrant.
Sting Operation Leads to Inter-Office Friction
The New York Police Department and the New York District Attorney’s office don’t always cooperate well. In this case, DA Vance wants to go to the grand jury and wait for an indictment, while the NYPD wants the DA’s office to swear out an arrest warrant immediately.The friction stems from a case involving Weinstein from 2015. Ambra Battilana, a 22-year-old model from Italy was in New York at the red-carpet premiere of Weinstein’s Radio City “New York Spring Spectacular.”
The model accused the mogul of grabbing and groping her on Nov. 3, 2015, during a meeting at the Tribeca Film Center in Manhattan.
Battilana went to the police and reported the assault. In response, the police sent Battilana to Weinstein’s apartment wearing a recording device.
On the tape, Battilana can be heard asking Weinstein why he touched her sexually, and Weinstein responds, “Oh, please, I’m sorry, just come on in. I’m, used to that. Come on, please.”
The DA’s office declined to prosecute Weinstein despite what seemed like an open admission of sexual assault.
A History of Creativity and Deviance
Harvey Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, formed Miramax film studios in 1979 and were wildly successful. They sold the company to Disney for some $80 million just over a decade later.The pair then created The Weinstein Company, which produced movies that have collectively won dozens of Academy Awards and hundreds of Oscar nominations.
In 2009, Weinstein spoke out publicly in defense of director Roman Polanski, who was facing a U.S. extradition effort for a 1977 sex crime. Polanski was accused of unlawful sexual intercourse with 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. The Polish director pleaded guilty to drugging and raping the girl and was sentenced to 90 days of counseling.
Polanski was released after 42 days, but fled the country because the plea deal was coming under heavy criticism and looked like it could be overturned.
The tone of the article—sympathizing with an admitted child rapist—might have seemed odd, until now.
The article continues, “Whatever you think about the so-called crime, Polanski has served his time. A deal was made with the judge, and the deal is not being honoured.”
Alan Griswold, a reporter for The Washington Free Beacon, tweeted on Oct. 5, 2017, “Well, this op-ed makes more sense now.”
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