Hollywood Creep: Harvey Weinstein May Be Arrested Soon

This is long overdue.

According to a story from the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, the New York Police Department are on standby, prepared to move in and arrest disgraced pervert movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein.

The once-powerful Weinstein saw his empire come tumbling down in October 2017, after the New Yorker published an in-depth article covering his sexual abuses against various women – including some big name Hollywood actresses.

The charges against Weinstein ripped the mask off of what has been an ugly secret in the industry for a very long time, with stars such as Rose McGowan, Mira Sorvino, Angelina Jolie, and Daryl Hannah all reporting inappropriate behavior.

“Sopranos” actress, Annabella Sciorra even told a tale of forcible rape, after Weinstein forced his way into her New York apartment in 1992.

So many women, with so many stories spanning decades have since come forward. This kicked the #MeToo movement into overdrive.

And now, it may be catching up to him, at long last.

The NYPD is reportedly just waiting for approval from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., whose office has been criticized for not previously charging Weinstein after allegations were brought against him in 2015.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan began a criminal investigation into the multiple sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein amid heightened tensions between police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office, sources told the Journal.

I kind of have to side with whoever is wondering what took so long. These reports came out in October. I get that there may be some statute of limitation issues in some of the cases, but c’mon… there’s got to be more that can be done.

One of those things the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York is looking into is whether Weinstein went so far as to get women to cross state lines, in order to commit a sex crime against them. If that be the case, it’s an offense that could lead to federal charges.

Weinstein’s lawyer is Benjamin Brafman. Brafman gave a statement, saying he will be meeting with federal prosecutors, in hopes that he can dissuade them from moving forward with any sort of criminal case against his client.

“Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts,” Brafman said.

Of course.

Then again, it’s not very likely that he’s going to say, “Yeah. I did it. So what?”

Seriously. Given the sheer volume of women who have come forward, it seems very unlikely that they all got together one day and decided to ruin Weinstein’s life.

Federal prosecutors have also investigated possible fraud related to financial transactions carried out by Weinstein.

Not surprising. I’m personally of the belief that if you can do something as vile as rape, you’re capable of any horrible thing.

Although individual sexual assault allegations are usually handled by local authorities, federal prosecutors have in recent months expanded their probe to include possible sex crimes, according to the Journal.

Also, the federal rules of evidence allow for prosecutors to use the proof of other sex crimes as proof of a proclivity for those types of crimes.

It’s a good rule, given the heinous nature of sex crimes.

The Weinstein case was so profound, it opened the floodgates for women (and men) in a wide range of industries, from the entertainment world, to news media and business, to come forward with their stories of abuse.