NYPD investigators assembled a viable rape case against accused serial sex offender Harvey Weinstein over the last eight days.
NYPD investigators assembled a viable rape case against accused serial sex offender Harvey Weinstein over the last eight days, police officials said Friday.
Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said authorities became aware of the alleged victim on Oct. 25, and now “have an actual case” against the Oscar-winning Hollywood pariah.
The complainant is apparently actress Paz de la Huerta, who claimed in a Vanity Fair piece published Friday that Weinstein raped her twice in 2010.
Boyce said cops followed up after receiving a phone call from the accuser with her account of the incidents involving Weinstein — who stands accused by dozens of women as a sexual predator.
“We spoke to her,” said Boyce. “She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us. Then we sought to garner corroboration… and we found it.”
De la Huerta told the magazine the rapes occurred at the end of 2010, with the first occurring after Weinstein gave the actress a ride home.
“It wasn’t consensual,” she said. “It happened very quickly. He stuck himself inside me. When he was done, he said he’d be calling me. I kind of just laid back on the bed in shock.”
The second sexual assault took place a few weeks later when Weinstein appeared uninvited in the lobby of de la Huerta’s apartment, the actress said.
De La Huerta, one of the stars of the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” appeared in the Weinstein film “Cider House Rules” when she was 14. The attacks allegedly occurred when she was 26.
A source told the Daily News that corroboration of the claims came a friend of the victim.
Weinstein, who has retained a lawyer, is currently staying in Arizona, the chief of detectives said.
According to Boyce, the NYPD and the Manhattan district attorney’s office are now collaborating on the probe.
“We are happy with where the investigation is right now,” said Boyce. “So right now we’re gathering evidence. We’ll continue to do so every day.”
The NYPD official said their interview of Weinstein’s accuser, along with the corroboration, persuaded them to pursue the 65-year-old suspect.
“She made the case why she didn’t come forward,” explained Boyce. “She was frightened. And she gave every little step.”
