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 The new indictment accuses Weinstein of forcibly performing oral
sex on a woman in July 2006. The new charges, which include
predatory sexual assault, carry a sentence of 10 years to life
in prison, according to the office of District Attorney Cyrus
Vance.
Weinstein, 66, once one of Hollywood's most powerful filmmakers,
has pleaded not guilty to the first set of charges and has
denied ever having non-consensual sex. His lawyer, Benjamin
Brafman, could not be reached immediately for comment on Monday.
Vance issued a statement about the new charges saying, "This
indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited
by the survivors who have come forward. Our investigation
continues."
More than 70 women - mostly young actresses and women in other
aspects of the movie business - 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.
Weinstein has been free on a $1 million bail after surrendering
in May to face the first set of charges, which came after a
monthslong investigation by the New York Police Department.
Prosecutors have not named any of the women accusing Weinstein
of sexual assault in court papers.
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The details of one of the cases in the earlier charges align with
the account of Lucia Evans, a former aspiring actress who told the
New Yorker in October 2017 that Weinstein forced her to perform oral
sex on him in 2004. The earlier indictment also accused him of
raping a different woman in March 2013.
As the accusations against him came out, the Weinstein Co's board
fired him, the company filed for bankruptcy in March, and the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled Weinstein.
In years past, the academy had showered him with Oscars for a string
of films that helped define independent cinema in the 1990s. Miramax
and later the Weinstein Co put out acclaimed movies such as
"Shakespeare in Love," "Pulp Fiction," "Sex, Lies and Videotape,"
"The Crying Game" and "The King's Speech."
London's Metropolitan Police and Los Angeles prosecutors have said
they are reviewing accusations of sexual assault against Weinstein.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Bill Trott)
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