“A Grand Jury has voted to indict Harvey Weinstein on charges of Rape in the First and Third Degrees, and Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement.
“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged,” Vance added.
He added, “We remind everyone that an Indictment is merely a formal accusation. Mr. Weinstein intends to enter a plea of Not Guilty and vigorously defend against these unsupported allegations that he strongly denies. We will soon formally move to dismiss the indictment and if this case actually proceeds to trial, we expect Mr Weinstein to be acquitted.”
Weinsteinsurrendered to authorities Friday at a police precinct in New York wherehe was arrested and chargedwith allegedly raping a woman and forcing another to perform oral sex, police sources confirmed to PEOPLE.
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He was charged with criminal sex act in the first-degree in connection with an alleged 2004 sexual assault on aspiring actress Lucia Evans, the sources confirmed. (Evans has agreed to be publicly named).
The arrest of the fallen movie executive comes after a 7-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him – and just weeks after a special grand jury was convened to hear the evidence against him.
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It’s unclear if Weinstein will face additional charges in connection with other allegations of sexual misconduct.
Weinstein was not required to enter a plea at Friday’s hearing. He paid $1 million in a cashier’s check to post bail on a $10 million bond,CNN reported. He handed over his passport and his travel is now limited. He will also wear a monitoring bracelet.
source: people.com
