A New York City grand jury on Wednesday indicted movie producer Harvey Weinstein on charges of rape in the first and third degrees and first-degree criminal sexual act, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.
Weinstein, 66, was arraigned last week on the same charges, seven months after women began to come forward with stories alleging sexual misconduct by the famous Hollywood producer. Weinstein, who intends to plead not guilty, according to his attorney, remains free after posting $1 million cash on a $10 million bond.
The charges stemmed from incidents with two women in 2013 and 2004 and were the result of a joint investigation between police and prosecutors, according to the Manhattan district attorney. Weinstein is accused of forcing one woman to perform oral sex on him on one occasion between June and September 2004, the criminal complaint said. The alleged rape took place on March 18, 2013, the complaint said.
“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged,” District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. “The defendant’s recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable.”
Weinstein attorney Benjamin Brafman said the announcement of the indictment “does not come as a surprise.” “We remind everyone that an indictment is merely a formal accusation,” Brafman said.
Weinstein intends to “vigorously defend against these unsupported allegations that he strongly denies. We will soon formally move to dismiss the indictment and if this case actually proceeds to trial, we expect Mr. Weinstein to be acquitted,” Brafman said in the statement.
Weinstein’s bond was set at $10 million at his arraignment on Friday. Weinstein was required to wear a GPS monitoring system and can only travel within New York state or Connecticut. He also surrendered his passport.
