NYPD gathers evidence to arrest Weinstein for rape

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New York police confirmed Friday that they were gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant on Harvey Weinstein as they have a credible rape allegation against the fallen Hollywood mogul.

"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta accused Weinstein of raping her twice at her New York apartment in late 2010. Her claims were published in Vanity Fair magazine on Thursday. Police said they became aware of the victim on October 25.

Paz de la Huerta attends the Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of “Bare” at the SVA Theatre in New York, April 19, 2015. /AP Photo

"She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us. We then sought to garner corroboration... and we found it, corroboration," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a news conference.

Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and "we have to move forward gathering evidence."

"We have an actual case here," he added. "Mr. Weinstein is out of state. We would need an arrest warrant to arrest him."

A warrant requires a court order, Boyce said. "So we want to get our evidence first before we go out and do something like that."

De la Huerta's allegations are at least the third Weinstein case to have been investigated by New York police in recent years. Boyce did not rule out others.

The Manhattan district attorney has also assigned a senior sex crimes prosecutor to the case, working in collaboration with New York police, his office confirmed.

Actresses who claim to be victims of Harvey Weinstein. /AFP Photo

Around 100 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct since a New York Times expose was published in early October. The accusations range from harassment to rape. Weinstein denies any non-consensual relations.

Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein but no charges have been brought against him.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters