Harvey Weinstein, the powerful Hollywood producer who was previously indicted in Manhattan for rape and sexual assault of two alleged victims, was indicted with additional sex crimes charges on Monday in connection with a third woman in a July 2006 incident.
The Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. ’s Office said a grand jury voted to charge Mr. Weinstein, 66 years old, with a criminal sex act in the first degree for forcibly committing oral sex on a woman, as well as two counts of predatory sexual assault. With the three additional felony charges, the former producer could now face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct last fall, sparking a national movement to encourage victims of sexual assault to report such crimes.
“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,” Mr. Vance said in a statement. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.”
Benjamin Brafman, Mr. Weinstein’s attorney, said in a statement his client would plead not guilty to the new charges. “Mr. Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false and he expects to be fully vindicated,” he said. “Furthermore to charge Mr. Weinstein as a Predator when the interactions were each consensual is simply not justified.”
Mr. Weinstein was charged in May with first- and third-degree rape, as well as committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree in connection with incidents in 2004 and 2013 against two women, according to the Manhattan prosecutors office.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges and is currently out of jail on $1 million bail.
One of the accusers is Lucia Evans, according to a law-enforcement official, who said Mr. Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004, when she was an aspiring actress.
Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer for Ms. Evans, previously said they were “relieved and grateful that justice is coming.”
The other woman accused Mr. Weinstein of holding her against her will and forcing her to have sex in 2013 at 569 Lexington Ave., the address of a Manhattan hotel, according to Manhattan prosecutors.
For more details: wsj.com
