Why the Newest Rape Allegation Against Weinstein Is Notable

It's within the statute of limitations
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2017 5:31 PM CDT
Why the Newest Rape Allegation Against Weinstein Is Notable
An Italian actress and model says she was raped by Harvey Weinstein at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating.   (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)

A new accusation against Harvey Weinstein could "open the door to a prosecution" a former sex crimes prosecutor tells the Los Angeles Times. A 38-year-old model and actress—well-known in Italy—met with the Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday, accusing the producer of sexually assaulting her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013. The unnamed woman says Weinstein, whom she was introduced to by a mutual acquaintance, showed up at her hotel uninvited following the Los Angeles, Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest. She says she told him he couldn't come to her room, but he ignored her. “He ... bullied his way into my hotel room," the woman says. "[He] became very aggressive and demanding and kept asking to see me naked. He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do. He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me.”

The woman says she told a friend, nanny, and priest about the assault after it happened but didn't go to police. She is hiding her identity now out of fear of retaliation and for her children's privacy. Capt. Billy Hayes says the LAPD is investigating the woman's claim. She is the sixth person to accuse Weinstein of rape or forced sex acts, but unlike most of the criminal allegations against Weinstein, this alleged crime happened within the 10-year statute of limitations. A rep for Weinstein says she "can't respond to some anonymous complaint." Meanwhile, staffers at the Weinstein Company released a statement Thursday saying they "did not know we were working for a serial sexual predator," calling the producer a "monster," Deadline reports. (More Harvey Weinstein stories.)

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