NEW YORK – Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday morning on an indictment in connection with his upcoming criminal trial, a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney said on Thursday.
The contents of the indictment could not immediately be determined. The spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance declined to comment on the substance of the indictment.
“He’ll be there Monday,” said Damon Cheronis, a lawyer for Weinstein, referring to his client. “He’ll enter a plea of not guilty, because he is not guilty.”
Vance’s office has accused Weinstein of having sexually assaulted two women, in 2006 and 2013. Prosecutors earlier this month sought to bring a new indictment that would allow jurors to hear testimony from a third woman, former Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra, who has said Weinstein raped her in 1993, court papers show.
Her manager did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Once among Hollywood’s most powerful producers, Weinstein faces a September 9 trial date in New York state court in Manhattan.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges in the earlier indictment, including rape and predatory sexual assault. He could face a life sentence if convicted.
The two women in the earlier indictment are among roughly 70 who have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct dating back decades. Weinstein has denied the accusations and said any sexual encounters were consensual.
Lawyers for Weinstein have asked that the trial be moved, perhaps to Suffolk County on Long Island or to Albany County upstate, because intense media scrutiny in New York City would make it impossible for him to get a fair trial there, according to a court filing. (Reuters)
