Last October, the first sexual harassment allegations toward Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein were made public, which not only led to his dismissal from The Weinstein Company and numerous other consequences, but also kicked off the #MeToo and Time's Up movements. Now today brings word that Weinstein has been charged by the Manhattan District Attorney, which could ultimately end up seeing him imprisoned for life.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced today that a Manhattan Grand Jury has indicted Weinstein "on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York's Penal Law." Specifically, the producer has now been charged with an additional count of Sexual Assault in the First Degree and two counts of Predatory Sexual Assault. Back in late May, Harvey Weinstein was charged by the New York City Police Department with "rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women." If convicted on those charges, Weinstein could have faced as much as 25 years behind bars, but with these additional counts, now life in prison is on the table, or at minimum he could have another decade tacked on to a prison sentence.
After surrendering himself to the police on May 25, Harvey Weinstein was released on bail, surrendered his passport and agreed to wear an ankle bracelet that keeps him confined to New York and Connecticut. Weinstein plead not guilty on his previous indictment, and according to Deadline, he's expected to do the same for this new one when he appears in court for his next arraignment on July 9. Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to legal action being taken against Weinstein. Nearly a dozen lawsuits have been filed against him by some of the more than 80 women who have accused him of sexually harassing and/or assaulting them. The Los Angeles Police Department and London's Metropolitan Police have also been conducting their own criminal investigations into the producer.
In addition to all the criminal and civil troubles Harvey Weinstein is facing, since the accusations against him started coming to light last fall, he's also been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Weinstein Company also declared bankruptcy in the fallout of these revelations. It was rumored in late May that prior to turning himself over to the authorities, Weinstein wanted to tell his side of the story in a documentary. While such a project seems unlikely now, there is a movie in the works about the reporters who broke the story of Weinstein's actions.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage on the Harvey Weinstein developments. If you're interested in planning your trips to the movie theater later this year, head to our 2018 release schedule.
