In less than a year, Harvey Weinstein has gone from famed Hollywood executive to alleged sexual abuser. Back in October 2017, Weinstein‘s fall from grace began when The New York Times and The New Yorker both published feature stories about allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape involving the Hollywood executive. In the months that followed, Weinstein was suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and divorced by his wife of ten years. When things looked as if they couldn’t get any worse for Weinstein, they did.
Today, a Manhattan Grand Jury issued an indictment that charges Weinstein with additional sex crimes, including one that could possibly land him behind bars for the rest of his natural life. Previously charged with raping a woman and forcing another to have oral sex, the former executive is now being charged with assaulting a third victim in 2006. Weinstein’s newest charge of predatory sexual assault indicates that prosecutors believe Weinstein exhibited criminal sexual behavior with three different women.
After the newest charges were released, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said, “A Manhattan grand jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s Penal Law.” Vance added, “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.”
NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea echoed Vance’s statements by saying, “The case is not over and the investigation continues. This was joint work between the Manhattan DA’s office and our special victims division and just to the overall nature of the case we ask other victims to come forward and we thank the victims who have come forward for their courage.”
Weinstein has plead not guilty to the previous charges and has not issued an official statement as of yet.
