Harvey Weinstein indicted for multiple rape and sex crime charges

A grand jury in New York City has made the decision.

Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on multiple rape charges by a grand jury in New York City. The Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, released a statement which reads: “A Grand Jury has voted to indict Harvey Weinstein on charges of Rape in the First and Third Degrees, and Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree. This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged. In response, Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said that that he was not surprised by the indictment. Brafman remarked that: “the indictment merely mirrors the same charges in the criminal court Complaint and does not add anything to the case we did not already know.” He adds: “We remind everyone that an indictment is merely a formal accusation. Mr. Weinstein intends to enter a plea of Not Guilty and vigorously defend against these unsupported allegations that he strongly denies. We will soon formally move to dismiss the indictment and if this case actually proceeds to trial, we expect Mr Weinstein to be acquitted.” On Friday, the film producer surrendered at a police precinct in New York where he was arrested and charged with allegedly raping a woman and forcing another woman to perform oral sex, police sources confirmed to PEOPLE. Weinstein has been the focus of an extensive 7-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, misconduct and assault by over 60 women since The New York Times and The New Yorker documented the various cases. A spokesperson for Weinstein previously said that: “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”