On Friday morning, Harvey Weinstein turned himself into officials on charges of rape, committing a criminal sex act, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct after a longstanding investigation into the allegations of two separate women.
After dozens of women came forward in a New York Times article with allegations against him, sparking the worldwide #MeToo movement, officials opened a joint investigation with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Now, as a result, Weinstein has been charged for the allegations made by two women, in the first criminal case to be brought against him since then.
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According to the Associated Press, the case will include allegations by Lucia Evans, who said the producer forced her to perform oral sex on him, and at least one other victim, who has yet to come forward publicly.
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Weinstein, 66, has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex. Nevertheless, the disgraced film producer is expected to put up $1 million in cash and agree to give up his passport and wear a monitoring device, as part of a pre-negotiated bail package.
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“I, and so many of Harvey Weinstein’s survivors had given up hope that our rapist would be held accountable by law. Twenty years ago, I swore that I would right this wrong. Today we are one step closer to justice,” actress Rose McGowan, who was one of the first women to publicly accuse the movie mogul of assault, said. “We were young women who were assaulted by Weinstein and later terrorized by his vast network of complicity. I stand with my fellow survivors. May this give hope to all victims and survivors everywhere that are telling their truths.
