Las Vegas Review-Journal

Prosecutor: Weinstein saw victims as ‘disposable­s’

- By Michael R. Sisak and Tom Hays The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein considered himself such a big shot in Hollywood that he thought he could get away with treating aspiring actresses like “complete disposable­s,” a prosecutor told a jury in closing arguments Friday at his New York City rape trial.

“The universe is run by me, and therefore, they don’t get to complain when they are stepped on, spit on, demoralize­d and, yes, raped and abused by me — the king,” Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-orbon said, mimicking Weinstein.

Using a TV monitor next to the jury box, the prosecutor­s displayed photos of “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra and five other accusers who also testified. Illuzzi-orbon told jurors that, putting aside the more successful Sciorra, the women were viewed by Weinstein as “complete disposable­s.”

“These other women, they were never in his world,” Illuzzi-orbon said. “They are never going to be in his world. They are never going to be strong enough, bold enough or brave enough to tell. But Annabella — someone might believe her.”

Illuzzi also showed a side-by-side comparison of Sciorra’s testimony about confrontin­g Weinstein in the mid-1990s — after she accuses him of raping her — and similar testimony by the woman he’s charged with raping in 2013.

“His eyes went black and I thought he was going to hit me right there,” Sciorra testified.

With the click of a button, the rape accuser’s testimony popped up: “His eyes changed and he was not there. They were very black and he ripped me up.”

After sitting through the threehour summation, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. shot reporters a thumbs-up. Meanwhile, Weinstein’s lawyers said the film producer was confident, heading into the long weekend before the start of deliberati­ons Tuesday.

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