NYPD on Harvey Weinstein Investigation: ‘We Have an Actual Case Here’
New York police on Friday gave an update on the department's investigation on a rape accusation against Harvey Weinstein, saying they have an "actual" case.
New York police on Friday gave an update on the department’s investigation on a rape accusation against Harvey Weinstein, saying they have an “actual” case.
“We are happy with where the investigation is right now. Mr. Weinstein is out of state, so we would need an arrest warrant to arrest him. So, right now we are gathering our evidence. We continue to do so every day,” chief of detectives Robert Boyce said during a news conference on New York crime statics. “This is a collaborative effort between us and the district attorney of New York. So we’ll work together to get this done.”
Actress Paz de la Huerta, on Oct. 25, accused Weinstein of raping her twice.
“She put forward a credible and detailed narrative to us,” Boyce said. “This happened seven years ago. We found corroboration along the way. We immediately contacted the district attorney of New York and we started working the case together.”
Subpoenas have been issued, he added. Since his hard fall from grace, Weinstein retreated to Phoenix for a voluntary rehab program.
“In order to go arrest Mr. Weinstein, we need a court order, so we want to gather our evidence first before we go and do something like that,” Boyce said.
Commenting on an unsubstantiated report from early in the day about police having enough evidence to make an arrest now, Boyce said, “I am not going to deny that we don’t have probable cause (to make an arrest) but I will say we have an actual case going forward. If this person was still in New York and it was recent, we would go right away and make the arrest. No doubt. But we are talking about a seven-year-old case and we need to move forward gathering evidence first.”
Weinstein had police reports filed against him in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York and London.
Authorities are investigating all the accusations.
Not long after he was accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment, Weinstein hired Blair Berk, a West Hollywood-based attorney who has also represented Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan, Kiefer Sutherland and Kanye West.
Weinstein was fired from the company he helped create and was kicked out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Celebrities and politicians have publicly condemned Weinstein.
His accusers now total more than 70 women.
This story originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
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