Miramax co-founder and Weinstein Company executive Harvey Weinstein is under investigation in New York, after a 22-year-old Italian woman told police he sexually abused her in Manhattan last week.
The New York Daily News reports the unidentified woman alleges Weinstein, 63, touched her private area and her breasts around 6 p.m. Friday, while at the Tribeca Film Center, a law enforcement source told the outlet.
According to the report, Weinstein has been questioned by police regarding the matter, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has yet to determine whether to file charges.
A source close to the investigation said Weinstein “initiated the contact” with the woman, and, “He saw her and spoke to her. She didn’t know who he was until he approached her.”
Weinstein has yet to comment on the allegations.
The producer has been married to Georgina Chapman, an English fashion designer and co-founder of fashion label Marchesa, since 2007. The couple hosted President Obama and other high-profile donors at their New York City West Village townhome in May of 2013 for a fundraiser.
Harvey Weinstein has been a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party. He and brother Bob Weinstein founded Miramax in 1979, but left the company to start The Weinstein Company in 2005.
The Weinstein Company has produced recent box-office successes, including The Imitation Game, Big Eyes, August: Osage County, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and Paddington.
The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off April 15 and will run until April 26.
***UPDATE:
Sources close to Harvey Weinstein have told PAGE SIX of the alleged incident: “We believe this is a blackmail attempt, and he did nothing wrong.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.