Disgraced Hollywood film producer, Harvey Weinstein, has been charged in Los Angeles with raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in separate incidents over a two-day period in 2013.
Weinstein, aged 67, now faces new felony charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint, as stated by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
In a statement, Lacey said, “We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them.”
The charges came shortly after Weinstein’s court appearance in New York for the start of his criminal trial on similar charges in a separate case. His attorney, Donna Rotunna, expressed concerns that any new charges would be “highly prejudicial” to a jury in the New York case.
According to the criminal complaint, Weinstein and a woman attended a Hollywood film festival on February 17, 2013. Later that night, he knocked on her hotel room door, gained entry, and allegedly attacked the woman, forcing her to perform oral sex, digitally penetrating her vagina, and raping her. The complaint also revealed that she did not disclose the assault because he threatened her life if she spoke. The charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by use relate to that incident.
Two days later, on February 19, Weinstein met a woman and her acquaintance for a business meeting at a hotel eatery in West Los Angeles. Weinstein persuaded the two to accompany him to his hotel suite, and one woman unwittingly followed him into the bathroom. He allegedly took off his clothes, prevented her from leaving, and held her in place by her breast as he masturbated. He faces a charge of felony sexual battery by restraint for that incident, according to Lacey.
Weinstein has denied all allegations of “nonconsensual sexual activity” related to the New York case and other claims made against him.
Weinstein’s career collapsed in October 2018 after numerous accusations of sexual harassment and assault were leveled against him.
Since then, more than 80 women, including young female assistants and actresses, have come forward to accuse him of various sexual harassment and assaults.