Weinstein Faces New Sex Assault Charges in Manhattan

NEW YORK — Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, already charged with sexually assaulting two women, has been indicted on additional sexual assault charges in connection with a third victim.

Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Monday that a grand jury had voted to approve a superseding indictment against Weinstein, adding to the charges he already faces in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Once a powerful figure in Hollywood who could make or break careers, Weinstein, 66, was arrested in Manhattan in May on charges that he sexually assaulted two women, one in 2013 and one in 2006. He has denied the charges, saying the encounters were consensual, and has pleaded not guilty. A judge released him on $1 million bail to await trial.

Issued on Monday, the updated indictment accuses Weinstein of forcing a third woman to have sex with him. The additional charges include two counts of predatory sexual assault, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.

“This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said. “Our investigation continues.”

Dozens of women, including several well-known actresses, have accused Weinstein in the last nine months of sexual misconduct and harassment, from unwanted touching to rape, over many years. The avalanche of accusations sparked women around the world to come forward with accounts of being sexually harassed and assaulted by their managers and other powerful men, shattering a code of silence that used to surround such predatory behavior.

Even so, prosecutors in Manhattan have faced hurdles finding victims who had cases still within the statute of limitations and who were willing to testify. The first criminal sexual act charge stems from an encounter with Lucia Evans, who told The New Yorker and then investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him during what she expected would be a casting meeting.