TOAST
NYPD chief of detectives: We ‘have a case’ against Weinstein in rape of Paz
PICTURE THIS: Harvey Weinstein in handcuffs.
NYPD investigators, armed with an actress’ detailed allegations of the Oscar-winner raping her twice in 2010, were on the verge Friday of busting the disgraced movie mogul for rape.
“If this person was in New York, and it was recent, we’d go right away and make the arrest,” said Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. “No doubt.”
The accuser is actress Paz de la Huerta, who claimed in a Vanity Fair piece that Weinstein raped her.
Boyce said cops followed up after receiving a phone call on Oct. 25 from the actress with her account of the incidents involving Weinstein — who stands accused of being a sexual predator by dozens of women.
“We spoke to her,” Boyce said. “She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us. Then we sought to garner corroboration . . . and we found it.”
De la Huerta told the magazine the rapes occurred at the end of 2010, with the first one occurring after Weinstein gave the actress a ride home.
“It wasn’t consensual,” she said. “It happened very quickly. He stuck himself inside me. When he was done, he said he’d be calling me. I kind of just laid back on the bed in shock.”
The second sexual assault took place a few weeks later after Weinstein appeared uninvited in the lobby of de la Huerta’s building, the actress said.
Weinstein, under investigation in Manhattan, London and Los Angeles, has yet to face criminal charges over the allegations.
A TMZ.com photo showed Weinstein in disguise eating inside a Phoenix restaurant on Thursday.
Weinstein issued a statement insisting that he never engaged in nonconsensual sex with any woman shortly after The New York Times alleged the producer sexually targeted a number of women.
All, like de la Huerta, remained silent for years rather than risk the mighty Weinstein’s wrath — and possible demise of their careers.
A source told the Daily News that corroboration of the rape claims came from a friend of the actress, and Vanity Fair reported that de la Huerta told her therapist about the attacks.
“I’m not going to deny that we don’t have (probable cause),” Boyce said. “But I will say we have an actual case . . . . We have to move forward, gathering evidence.”
Former “Boardwalk Empire” star de la Huerta joins fellow actresses Annabella Sciorra, Lysette Anthony, Rose McGowan and Natassia Malthe in making rape allegations against the Hollywood pariah.
De la Huerta appeared in the Weinstein film “The Cider House Rules” when she was 14. The attacks allegedly occurred in her apartment when she was 26.
Weinstein, who has retained a lawyer, is staying in Arizona and is aware that cops want to speak with him, the chief of detectives said.
According to Boyce, the NYPD and the Manhattan district attorney’s office are now collaborating on the probe.
“We are happy with where the investigation is right now,” Boyce said. “So right now we’re gathering evidence. We’ll continue to do so every day.”
Police had pressed for an arrest of Weinstein after a 2015 incident where Italian model/actress Ambra Battilana accused him of groping her during a meeting in his Tribeca office.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. opted not to prosecute Weinstein in that case.
The NYPD official said their interview of de la Huerta, along with the corroboration, persuaded them to pursue the 65-yearold suspect.
“She made the case why she didn’t come forward,” explained Boyce. “She was frightened. And she gave every little step.”
De la Huerta called the NYPD’s rape hotline last week, CNN reported.