Harvey Weinstein gets a ‘perp walk’
His face pulled in a strained smile and his hands locked behind his back, the once-powerful Hollywood figure emerged from a police station Friday facing rape and criminal sex act charges, a searing reckoning for the man who became a symbol of a worldwide outcry over sexual misconduct.
“This defendant used his position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually,” Manhattan Assistant Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said later, in words that brought raised eyebrows from the otherwise stony-faced Weinstein.
The charges stem from encounters with two of the dozens of women - some famous, some not - who have accused him of sexual misdeeds.
The rape charge involves a woman who has not come forward publicly; the other is a onetime aspiring actress who was among his first accusers.
Weinstein has consistently denied any allegations of nonconsensual sex.
His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said Friday that he would fight to get the charges dismissed.
And he began to take aim at the accusations and accusers, noting that the alleged attacks weren’t reported to police when they happened and suggesting potential jurors wouldn’t believe the women.
Weinstein was released on $1 million bail, with constant electronic monitoring and a ban on traveling beyond New York and Connecticut.
As he surrendered, the 66-year-old Weinstein found himself surrounded by lights and cameras in a spectacle he couldn’t control.
“You sorry, Harvey?” came a shout from a throng of media as the once powerful movie mogul was led into a lower Manhattan courthouse.
Asked, “What can you say?” Weinstein mildly shook his head and softly said “No.”
The top charges against him carry the potential for up to 25 years in prison.
AP
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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