Harvey Weinstein Arrested, Charged With Rape

On Friday, former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was arrested and arraigned on charges of first- and third-degree rape and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree after turning himself in to New York City authorities. According to the New York district attorney’s office, the charges come from sexual assaults committed against two women in 2013 and 2004. Names of the two women have not been released.

“I thank the brave survivors who have come forward, and my Office’s prosecutors who have worked tirelessly on this investigation,” District Attorney Cy Vance said in a statement. “We urge additional survivors and others with relevant information to call our Sex Crimes Hotline at 212-335-9373.”

Allegations against Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement last October. While multiple women came forward with allegations against Weinstein, the movement those allegations sparked led more than one million people around the world to share that they too were sexual assault or harassment survivors.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), approximately two out of every three sexual assaults go unreported. There are a number of reasons why people decide not to report — from fear of testifying to concerns their attacker might retaliate — all valid concerns considering that out of every 1,000 rapes only six perpetrators will go to jail.

Weinstein’s attorney said the disgraced former media mogul will plead not guilty to the charges. According to CNN, Weinstein’s bond was set at $10 million. Weinstein will only be allowed to travel between New York and Connecticut and will be required to wear a GPS monitoring system at all times. Prosecutors in Los Angeles and London are investigating similar allegations against Weinstein as well.