Weinstein might turn himself in today.
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is expected to turn himself in to authorities in Manhattan today to face criminal charges, several media outlets reported Thursday. The development, first r epor t ed by the New York Daily News and confirmed by The New York Times, Dea d line and others, comes months after Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office reportedly launched an investigation into allegations of sexual assault.
The exact charges, expected today, are still unclear but multiple reports say they will relate to accusations from at least one woman, Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on himin 2004, as detailed in an October story in The New Yorker. In No-vember, New York police officials said the accusations made by actress Paz de la Huerta, including that Weinstein raped her twice in 2010, were “credible.”
“We have an actual case here,” said Robert Boyce, chief of detectives for the New York City Police Department.
A spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office declined to comment Thursday afternoon.
Weinstein had been a powerful force in the entertainment world until last year’s series of investigative stories from the Times and the New Yorker that detailed accusations of sexual misconduct made by several women.
Since then, scores more have come forward to claim Weinstein used his status to sexually assault and harass them.
The revelations sparked a broader reckoning with sexism in Hollywood that has since touched other industries. Authorities in several cities have also launched criminal investigations into Weinstein, including in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and London.
Federal prosecutors have also started an investigation into the sexual-abuse allegations, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Weinstein attorney Benjamin Brafman said in a court filing that Weinstein was the “principal target” of a federal probe.
He also wrote that Weinstein “did not knowingly violate the law” and the allegations that Weinstein forced himself on women are “entirely without merit,” The Associated Press reported.
Brafman did not immediately return the Post’s request for comment.