Culture

The NYPD Has ‘An Actual Case’ Against Harvey Weinstein Following Paz De La Huerta’s Allegations

While prominent individuals entities join the ranks of those speaking out against Harvey Weinstein, the New York Police Department announced that it has “an actual case” against the embattled Hollywood mogul on Friday. During an early evening press conference, NYPD officials explained, “We have an actual case here. We are happy with where the investigation is right now. Mr. Weinstein is out of state and we would need an arrest warrant to arrest him. So right now we’re gathering our evidence.” They didn’t initially say who the victim in question was, but according to the New York Times, it’s actress Paz de la Huerta.

In a Vanity Fair article published Thursday, the 33-year-old actress revealed that Weinstein allegedly raped her twice in 2010, when she was starring in the critically acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire. “Things got very uncomfortable very fast,” she recalled of the first incident in November when the pair ran into each other at a Manhattan bar. The producer offered the then-26-year-old performer a ride home, forced himself into her apartment and assaulted her. Weinstein allegedly assaulted her a second time a month later. “I was in no state,” she said, recalling how frightened she was of Weinstein. “I was so terrified of him.” Her case falls within New York’s statute of limitations for bringing sexual assault cases.

According to the Times, De la Huerta’s account “[has] been a focus of investigators in the department’s Special Victims Division for several days.” During Friday’s press conference, the NYPD’s chief of detectives, Robert Boyce explained they “became aware” of her story on October 25th, when the actress called them to report her account. “She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us,” he said, noting that they “found corroboration” for De la Huerta’s account from several sources.

(Via ABC News, New York Times and Vanity Fair)