Harvey Weinstein Reportedly Set to Turn Himself in to Authorities on Sexual Assault Charges
Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to authorities on Friday, following a lengthy investigation into the sexual assault accusations brought against him, according to reports.
Weinstein, The New York Times reported, is set to be charged by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The Times further reported that Weinstein will face charges brought by at least one accuser. That person is Lucia Evans, who says she met Weinstein in 2004. Evans told The New Yorker in an in-depth review of Weinstein’s accusers that during a one-on-one meeting with the Hollywood producer, he forced her to perform oral sex on him.
“He’s a big guy. He overpowered me,” Evans told The New Yorker. “I just sort of gave up.”
Of Weinstein’s alleged process of harassing and assaulting women, Evans said, “It feels like a very streamlined process.” She added, “Female casting director, Harvey wants to meet. Everything was designed to make me feel comfortable before it happened. And then the shame in what happened was also designed to keep me quiet.”
According to The New York Times, prosecutors in Manhattan are still actively investigating allegations against Weinstein by actress Paz de la Huerta. She claims Weinstein raped her in her own home in New York City in 2010.
Since the fall of 2017, dozens of women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of misconduct, assault, and rape, including actresses Lena Headey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino and more. Ashley Judd was one of the first women to go on record with her report, sharing her story in detail with The New York Times in October. Judd told The Times that sometime in the 1990s, Weinstein invited her to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel under the guise of a breakfast meeting. However, when she arrived at his room, he was only wearing a bathrobe and asked the young actress if she could watch him shower or if he could give her a massage.
“I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,” Judd said. “It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining.”
Weinstein has denied engaging in non-consensual sex with anyone, Reuters writes.
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