NYPD says it is building rape case against mogul Weinstein
NEW YORK — New York City police said Friday that an actress’ rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein are credible, and if the movie mogul was in the state and the accusation more recent, they would move to arrest him immediately.
Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said investigators have interviewed actress Paz de la Huerta. She has publicly accused Weinstein of raping her twice in 2010 and called police about it Oct. 26.
Boyce said detectives found the “Boardwalk Empire” actress’ story believable and that two people corroborated portions of her account. They have subpoenaed people in the case.
“If this person was still in New York, and it was recent, we’d go right away and make the arrest. No doubt,” Boyce said of Weinstein. “But we’re talking about a 7-year-old case. And we have to move forward gathering evidence first.”
An email message sent to Weinstein representative Sallie Hofmeister was not returned. Weinstein, 65, has denied allegations of non-consensual sex.
The investigation comes a month after The New York Times published an expose of sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein, leading to his firing from the company he co-founded and his expulsion from the organization that bestows the Academy Awards. Since then, dozens of women have come forward to tell similar tales of harassment or assault.
Investigators could seek an arrest warrant or hand the evidence over to prosecutors to put the allegations to a grand jury.
Weinstein has an apartment in New York City, but his whereabouts Friday were unknown. TMZ on Friday posted a photo of a man it said was Weinstein in disguise eating at a Phoenix restaurant.