Harvey Weinstein is expected to be served with criminal charges by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and will turn himself in to authorities on Friday, according to the New York Daily News.
The news comes after a months-long investigation by New York law enforcement into accusations of sexual assault. According to the Daily News, Weinstein faces charges in connection with accusations made by aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in his Manhattan office in 2004.
According to the paper a grand jury convened several weeks ago was also presented evidence related to accusations of financial fraud though it is unclear if he will be charged for any financial crimes.
The Manhattan D.A.’s office and Weinstein’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, have both told TheWrap they will not comment at this time. Weinstein has consistently denied that he ever engaged in non-consensual sex.
Authorities in New York, Los Angeles and London have all been investigating the disgraced mogul for accusations of sexual assault and other crimes.
Since the first bombshell reports about Weinstein broke in the New York Times and the New Yorker last October, more than 90 women have come forward to accuse him of various forms of misconduct, including sexual harassment, assault and rape.
In March, NYPD Chief Detective Robert Boyce told reporters that “considerable evidence” has been gathered in its sexual assault investigation against Weinstein, and that it is up to District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. to decide if and when to indict him.
Authorities in New York were investigating claims by at least two accusers. In addition to Evans, “Boardwalk Empire” actress Paz de La Huerta said he raped her twice in 2010.
Boyce said in March that detectives have spoken with witnesses who are prepared to testify in secret before a grand jury.
British police have been investigating accusations by at least 10 women for incidents that they have said occurred between the 1980s and 2015.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has been reviewing five sex-crime cases against Weinstein, including three submitted in February as well as two submitted by Beverly Hills police late last year.
Weinstein’s storied Hollywood career quickly unraveled after the initial reports of sexual misconduct. He was fired by the board of The Weinstein Company, the studio he founded with his brother, Bob Weinstein, which filed for bankruptcy in March.
He was also expelled from the academies that sponsor the Oscars, Emmys and BAFTA Awards as well as the Producers Guild of America. Weinstein currently faces several lawsuits, including a class action RICO suit filed by several of his accusers.
The New York Attorney General’s office has also filed a lawsuit against The Weinstein Company, claiming that the company violated business regulations as well as civil and human rights laws by improperly handling HR complaints filed by employees against Weinstein.
SOURCE: The Wrap – Thom Geier and Jeremy Fuster
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