Harvey Weinstein Charged With Rape After Handing Himself in to NYPD
Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with rape and other sexual offenses after handing himself in to police this morning. As per the BBC, the executive was arrested and charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse, and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women, according to the New York Police Department.
Weinstein, who has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex up to now, appeared in a Manhattan courthouse with his lawyer, where his bond was set at a mammoth $10 million, with the executive paying a $1 million cashier’s check to post bail. His conditions include surrendering his passport, agreeing not to travel outside New York state and Connecticut, and agreeing to wear a GPS-enabled monitoring device.
This will be the first criminal case brought against Weinstein since allegations against the movie mogul emerged in October last year. Multiple women, including actresses Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, and later Uma Thurman, publicly accused Weinstein of sexually inappropriate behavior. Their revelations led in part to the rise of the #MeToo movement, highlighting wrongdoings across several industries.
“I, and so many of Harvey Weinstein’s survivors, had given up hope that our rapist would be held accountable by law,” actress Rose McGowan wrote on Instagram. “Twenty years ago, I swore that I would right this wrong. Today we are one step closer to justice.”
Elsewhere, Morgan Freeman has also been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.