Weinstein surrendered to New York authorities around 7:30 a.m. Eastern time. He was led into a courtroom in cuffs and charged with crimes including rape for alleged forcible sexual acts against two women in 2013 and 2004, Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement.
The judge set his bail at $10 million and restricted his movements to New York and Connecticut. Weinstein agreed to be electronically monitored. He has consistently denied any nonconsensual sexual relations and continued to do so Friday.
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Calling the day both real and surreal, McGowan suggested that the surrender was strategically timed.
“He turned himself in on a Friday. That’s a slow news weekend, Memorial Day, so he still has privileges from high up somewhere,” she said. “But this is a big strike into the heart of abuse of power. And this shows people worldwide — which is what I was hoping the whole time — that this cannot and will not stand.
On Thursday night, the 44-year-old actress and activist taped an interview with ABC News that ran Friday morning on “Good Morning America.”
“I have a visceral need for him to have handcuffs on,” she said quietly. “His face has terrorized me for so long.” She said she’s talking with another alleged Weinstein victim about attending his trial and she wants the process to be fair.
McGowan also noted that she knows people are sad and sick of so much coverage of men who abuse their power, but noted that they should also imagine how tired of it the women who’ve been assaulted and abused are.
“The first time I saw him after he attacked me was on a red carpet, and I threw up in a trash can. I hope (Friday) maybe it’s him,” she said.
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“Maybe it’ll be him that’s nauseous and not me for once.”
Weinstein, through his attorney Benjamin Braffman, remained defiant.
“Mr. Weinstein did not invent the casting couch in Hollywood,” Braffman said after the court appearance Friday. “And to the extent that there is bad behavior in that industry, that is not what this is about. Bad behavior is not on trial in this case.”
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