NEW YORK - The Manhattan district attorney
on Monday announced new criminal charges against film producer
Harvey Weinstein, who had been charged with rape and a criminal
sexual act in May.
The new charges include predatory sexual assault and involve
a third woman in addition to the two mentioned in the earlier
charges. Weinstein, 66, once one of Hollywood's most powerful
film makers, has pleaded not guilty to the first set of charges.
Benjamin Brafman, Weinstein's lawyer, could not be reached
immediately for comment.
"This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage
exhibited by the survivors who have come forward," District
Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement. "Our investigation
continues."
More than 70 women have accused the Miramax film studio's
co-founder of sexual misconduct, including rape, in a series of
incidents dating back decades. The accusations gave rise to the
#MeToo movement, which has seen hundreds of women publicly
accusing powerful men in business, government and entertainment
of sexual harassment and abuse.
The Weinstein Co's board fired him, the company filed for
bankruptcy in March, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences expelled him.
In years past, the academy had showered him with Oscars for
a string of films that helped define independent cinema in the
1990s, including "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction."