A New York City grand jury indicted Harvey Weinstein on rape charges, the Manhattan District Attorney said on Wednesday. Weinstein turned himself in to New York police last week and was released on bail.

"This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged," Manhattan DA Cy Vance said in a statement. "Our office will try this case not in the press, but in the courtroom where it belongs. The defendant's recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable. We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks out of hand."

Weinstein has been charged with rape in the first and third degrees, and criminal sexual act in the first degree. He has previously denied any nonconsensual sexual encounters.

The announcement came hours after Weinstein's lawyers said he'd decline to testify before the grand jury because there wasn't enough time to prepare him and "political pressure" made an indictment unavoidable.

A statement issued through a Weinstein spokesman said the 66-year-old film producer, who has denied the allegations, learned of the specific charges and the accusers' identities only after turning himself in Friday. With a deadline set for Wednesday afternoon to testify or not, his request for more time was denied, the statement said.

"Finally, Mr. Weinstein's attorneys noted that regardless of how compelling Mr. Weinstein's personal testimony might be, an indictment was inevitable due to the unfair political pressure being placed on Cy Vance to secure a conviction of Mr. Weinstein," the statement said, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.

Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, issued a statement to CBS News saying the indictment is a "merely a formal accusation." Brafman said Weinstein will enter a plea of not guilty and will "vigorously defend against these unsupported allegations that he strongly denies."

Vance said in a statement that the Weinstein camp's "recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable."

"We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks out of hand," Vance said.

Weinstein was charged Friday with rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York, as a grand jury continued hearing evidence in the case; the panel has been at work for weeks. Defendants have the right to testify in a grand jury's secret proceedings but often don't, for various reasons.

Weinstein faces rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York. Dozens more women have accused him of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault in various locales.

He has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex, and Brafman, said earlier Tuesday that Weinstein was "confident he's going to clear his name" in the New York prosecution.

Brafman called the rape allegation "absurd," saying that the accuser and Weinstein had a decade-long, consensual sexual relationship that continued after the alleged 2013 attack.

The woman, who hasn't been identified publicly, told investigators Weinstein confined her in a hotel room and raped her.

The other accuser in the case, former actress Lucia Evans, has gone public with her account of Weinstein forcing her to perform oral sex at his office in 2004. The Associated Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual assaults unless they come forward publicly.

Vance, a Democrat, came under public pressure from women's groups to prosecute Weinstein after declining to do so in 2015, when an Italian model went to police to say Weinstein had groped her during a meeting.

Police set up a sting in which the woman recorded herself confronting Weinstein and him apologizing for his conduct. But Vance decided there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, ordered the state attorney general to investigate how Vance handled that matter.

Since last fall, more than 80 women have come forward to accuse the disgraced Hollywood mogul of sexual harassment, assault and rape. The allegations triggered the #MeToo movement, inspiring women around the world to publicly speak out about their mistreatment by powerful men.

One of Weinstein's accusers, Lucia Evans, said in a statement "what Mr. Weinstein's attorneys call casting couch behavior we know is actually a sex crime. A 'movement' doesn't indict. A grand jury does."</s>Harvey Weinstein has been indicted by a New York grand jury on charges of rape in the first and third degrees, and criminal sexual act in the first degree.

The shamed movie producer's indictment follows his arrest and court appearance last Friday.

Earlier in the day, Weinstein's lawyer Ben Brafman released a statement stating that his client wold not be testifying in front of the grand jury - the panel convened by the Manhattan District Attorney to decide whether he would be indicted.

He said his client did not have enough time to prepare to testify, and that he only learned on Friday of the identities of the two women relating to the charges.

The statement said: "After being unfairly denied access to critical information about this case that was needed to defend him before the grand jury, Mr Weinstein's attorneys decided that there was not sufficient time to properly prepare Mr Weinstein.

"The identities of the accusers and the specific charges were provided to Mr Weinstein last Friday on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend and a deadline for his appearance set for Wednesday, 2pm.

"Our request for a postponement of his appearance before the grand jury was denied.

"Accordingly, Mr Brafman will inform the District Attorney today that Mr Weinstein intends to follow the advice of his attorneys and not testify before the grand jury."

The statement continued: "Not having access to these materials is particularly troubling in this case, where one of the unsupported allegations is more than 14 years old and the rape allegation involves a woman with whom Mr Weinstein shared a 10-year consensual sexual relationship that continued for years after the alleged incident in 2013.

"Finally, Mr Weinstein's attorneys noted that regardless of how compelling Mr Weinstein's personal testimony might be, an indictment was inevitable due to the unfair political pressure being placed on Cy Vance to secure a conviction of Mr Weinstein."

Weinstein, 66, appeared in court on Friday in New York in his first public appearance since facing numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.

He posted a one million dollar (£751,060) cash bail and agreed to wear an electronic monitor which tracks his movements 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He also surrendered his passport and agreed to stay within the states of New York and Connecticut.

Weinstein, who has repeatedly denied allegations of non-consensual sex, intends to plead not guilty to the charges, Mr Brafman said outside court.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 70 women, with some allegations dating back decades.</s>(DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD) — Hours after Harvey Weinstein announced he would not testify before a grand jury the same panel has now indicted the disgraced producer on two sets of rape charges and a sex crime charge.

“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,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. this afternoon.

If found guilty, Oscar winner Weinstein could find himself behind bars for up to 25 years.</s>Harvey Weinstein after turning himself to authorities following allegations of sexual misconduct, May 25, 2018, in New York.

Harvey Weinstein was indicted on rape and criminal sex-act charges by a New York grand jury, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the indictment, which follows Weinstein being charged with the felonies on Friday, "brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged."

Vance vowed to try the case in the courtroom, not the press, in a statement emailed to USA TODAY.

"The defendant’s recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable," his statement said. "We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks out of hand."

He added that the grand jury investigation of Weinstein "remains active and ongoing," and he appealed for additional accusers of the disgraced movie mogul to come forward if they have relevant information.

Defense attorney Ben Brafman said the indictment is "not a surprise," that it merely "mirrors" the same charges already filed against Weinstein and "does not add anything to the case we did not already know."

"We remind everyone that an Indictment is merely a formal accusation," Brafman said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY. "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."

Earlier Wednesday, Brafman said Weinstein would not appear before the grand jury to testify. Brafman issued a statement saying he advised Weinstein to skip the grand jury hearing because of a lack of time to prepare.

"After being unfairly denied access to critical information about this case that was needed to defend him before the Grand Jury, Mr. Weinstein’s attorneys decided that there was not sufficient time to properly prepare Mr. Weinstein," said the statement.

"The identities of the accusers and the specific charges were provided to Mr. Weinstein last Friday on the eve of the Memorial Day Weekend and a deadline for his appearance set for Wednesday (at) 2 p.m.

"Our request for a postponement of his appearance before the Grand Jury was denied. Accordingly, Mr. Brafman will inform the District Attorney today that Mr. Weinstein intends to follow the advice of his attorneys and not testify before the Grand Jury."

Weinstein turned himself in to New York police on Friday and was charged with felony sex crimes, including first- and third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sex act, stemming from encounters in New York with two women, including one who was unidentified. Those are the crimes listed in the grand jury indictment.

On Tuesday, following a closed-door meeting with Manhattan prosecutors and a judge to discuss the case, Brafman told reporters the unidentified accuser was in a decade-long relationship with Weinstein that continued after the alleged attack on her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.

"Not having access to these materials is particularly troubling in this case, where one of the unsupported allegations is more than 14 years old and the Rape allegation involves a woman with whom Mr. Weinstein shared a 10-year consensual sexual relationship that continued for years after the alleged incident in 2013," Brafman's statement Wednesday said.

Ben Brafman, attorney for Harvey Weinstein, arrives at the New York County Criminal Court, May 25, 2018.

Although Weinstein's personal testimony before the grand jury could be "compelling," Brafman's statement said "an indictment was inevitable due to the unfair political pressure being placed on Vance to secure a conviction of Mr. Weinstein."

Vance has been criticized by New York police detectives, by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and by the New York state attorney general's office in connection with accusations against Weinstein, both current and dating to 2015.

Back then, Vance's office decided there wasn't enough evidence to press charges against Weinstein after an Italian model accused him of groping her, despite an audio tape of him seeming to acknowledge her accusations.

With the grand jury investigation continuing, further charges involving other accusers could be forthcoming. Weinstein, like any defendant, has the right to testify before a grand jury; such proceedings are secret.

Weinstein, 66, surrendered Friday and was led into court in handcuffs to face rape and criminal sex-crimes charges involving the two accusers. The fallen Hollywood mogul, who is free on $1 million bail and is confined to New York and Connecticut, has consistently denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

Brafman's legal advice to Weinstein came a day after a 90-minute conference Tuesday with prosecutors in the chambers of Judge James Burke. A transcript of the conference was sealed and Brafman was limited in what he could say about the meeting.

But he told reporters he was worried about the impact of bad publicity about his client could have on the grand jury.

Still, he said Weinstein expects to be exonerated if the case goes to trial.

"You can only imagine what your state of mind would be if you were accused of a very serious crime that you maintain you didn't commit," he said Tuesday. "So it's a terrible state of mind in that regard, but he's confident he's going to clear his name."</s>Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on rape and criminal sex act charges in New York City.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced the indictment Wednesday. He says it brings the former movie mogul "another step closer to accountability."

The indictment came hours after Weinstein's lawyers said he'd decided not to testify before the grand jury. They said there wasn't enough time to prepare because he learned the specific charges and the accusers' identities only after turning himself in Friday.

Weinstein's lawyers also said "political pressure" on the DA made an indictment unavoidable.

They declined to comment further on the indictment.

Weinstein faces rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York. The 66-year-old has consistently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.</s>A grand jury has indicted Harvey Weinstein on two counts of rape and a criminal sex 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,” New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., said in a statement. “Our office will try this case not in the press, but in the courtroom where it belongs. The defendant’s recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable. We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks out of hand.”

Weinstein was arrested on Friday on similar charges, to which he pled not guilty. He is out on bail after forfeiting his passport and agreeing to wear an ankle monitor. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 30th. If convicted, Weinstein faces up to 25 years in prison.</s>A New York City grand jury indicted disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on charges of rape and a criminal sexual act of the first degree, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. Weinstein, who was arrested and arraigned Friday afternoon, has been accused of numerous sexual assaults and harassment by dozens of women over a decades-long career, but the indictments are the result of specific allegations made by two women—Lucia Evans, who says Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on her in 2004 and another woman, who has not been publicly identified, who says Hollywood powerbroker raped her in a New York City hotel in 2013.

“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. “Our office will try this case not in the press, but in the courtroom where it belongs. The defendant’s recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable. We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks out of hand.”

The indictment was handed down shortly after Weinstein’s attorney announced his client would not appear before the grand jury because they were granted insufficient time to prepare and “denied access to critical information about this case.” Weinstein’s legal team also attempted to paint the pursuit of the serial abuser as a politically hatchet job and “inevitable due to the unfair political pressure being placed on [Manhattan District Attorney] Cy Vance to secure a conviction.”

Weinstein is currently out on $1 million bail and wearing a court-ordered ankle bracelet.</s>New York, May 31 (IANS) Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on sex-crime charges, hours after he said he would not testify before a grand jury.

The grand jury voted on Wednesday to indict Weinstein on charges of first- and third-degree rape, and first-degree criminal sexual act, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.

The charges are the same that were filed by cops last week when Weinstein, 66, surrendered to face arrest in a pair of alleged sex attacks in Manhattan in 2004 and 2013, the New York Post reported.

“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged,” DA Cyrus Vance Junior said.

Vance, who said the Weinstein probe “remains active and ongoing”, also blasted what he called the movie mogul’s “recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process”.

“We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks…,” Vance added.

Vance has faced fierce criticism over his 2015 decision not to prosecute Weinstein for allegedly groping a model to whom Weinstein apologised on a secret recording made by cops, New York Post reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, a statement from Weinstein’s representatives said he decided not to appear before the grand jury “on the advice of his attorneys”, including veteran defence lawyer Benjamin Brafman.

In a statement, Brafman said: “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 Weinstein to be acquitted,” New York Post quoted Brafman as saying.

More than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape.

He has denied engaging in any “non-consensual sexual conduct”.</s>On Wednesday, a Manhattan grand jury officially indicted Harvey Weinstein on charges of rape and criminal sexual act, according to the Associated Press .

“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. "Our office will try this case not in the press, but in a courtroom where it belongs."

In the statement, Vance also thanked the "heroic survivors for their strength throughout this process" and thanked the New York City Police Department for its dedication to the case. The statement ended by urging any other potential victims to come forward with their allegations.

Weinstein did not testify in front of the grand jury on Wednesday. According to Weinstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman, he did not have adequate time to prepare his client for testimony.

“After being unfairly denied access to critical information about this case that was needed to defend him before the grand jury, Mr. Weinstein’s attorneys decided that there was not sufficient time to properly prepare Mr. Weinstein,” Brafman said in a statement . Brafman added that he felt an indictment was "inevitable" regardless of what his client may say on the stand due to “unfair political pressure.”

Weinstein turned himself in to authorities last week to face charges.

The disgraced Hollywood producer will now face the accusations brought by Lucia Evans, who says she met Weinstein in 2004. In October, Evans gave an in-depth interview to The New Yorker where she explained that during a one-on-one meeting with Weinstein, she was forced to perform oral sex on him.

“He’s a big guy. He overpowered me," Evans said. “I just sort of gave up."

Weinstein is currently out on $1 million bail and is required to wear an ankle bracelet as he awaits trial. To date, Weinstein has denied all allegations against him.

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 Harvey Weinstein's Accusers Are Reacting to His Arrest on Twitter: 'We Got You'

 Here's How Harvey Weinstein's Arrest Went Down</s>NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on a New York rape case against Harvey Weinstein (all times local):

Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on rape and criminal sex act charges in New York City.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced the indictment Wednesday. He says it brings the former movie mogul "another step closer to accountability."

The indictment came hours after Weinstein's lawyers said he'd decided not to testify before the grand jury. They said there wasn't enough time to prepare because he learned the specific charges and the accusers' identities only after turning himself in Friday.

Weinstein's lawyers also said "political pressure" on the DA made an indictment unavoidable.

They declined to comment further on the indictment.

Weinstein faces rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York. The 66-year-old has consistently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Harvey Weinstein won't testify before the New York grand jury that's weighing whether to indict him on rape and other sex charges.

A statement issued through a spokesman Wednesday says Weinstein's lawyers decided there wasn't enough time to prepare him to testify. They say he learned the specific charges and the accusers' identities only after turning himself in Friday, with a deadline set for Wednesday afternoon to testify or not.

They say his request for more time was denied.

Weinstein faces rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York. Dozens more women have accused him of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault in various locales.

The 66-year-old former movie mogul has consistently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Harvey Weinstein won't testify before the New York grand jury that's weighing whether to indict him on rape and other sex charges.

A statement issued through a spokesman Wednesday says Weinstein's lawyers decided there wasn't enough time to prepare him to testify. They say he learned the specific charges and the accusers' identities only after turning himself in Friday, with a deadline set for Wednesday afternoon to testify or not.

They say his request for more time was denied.

Weinstein faces rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York. Dozens more women have accused him of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault in various locales.

The 66-year-old former movie mogul has consistently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
Harvey Weinstein is indicted for rape charges by a New York City grand jury.