Harvey Weinstein was arraigned Friday on rape and other charges in the first criminal prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him that led to a national reckoning over sexual misconduct. Seven months after over 50 women came forward with allegations, which destroyed his career and launched the #MeToo movement, the disgraced Hollywood mogul turned himself in to face the charges, which stem from encounters with two of the dozens who have accused him of sexual misconduct, ranging from harassment to assault.
“This defendant used his position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually,” Manhattan Assistant Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said in court. The Associated Press reports that Weinstein raised his eyebrows as he heard it. He has consistently denied any allegations of nonconsensual sex.
A judge agreed to release Weinstein on $1 million bail, under the conditions of constant electronic monitoring and a ban on traveling beyond New York and Connecticut.
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