US: Weinstein freed on bail after 3rd raft of charges

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was released on bail Monday following a third set of sex crimes charges.

Weinstein, 66, turned himself into a Manhattan court earlier Monday before a judge ordered he be released without new bail restrictions despite the urging of a prosecutor. In May, Weinstein handed over his passport to authorities and was fitted with an electronic monitor in order to be freed on $1 million bail.

The Hollywood producer is now facing charges stemming from encounters with three of the more than 75 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

Weinstein's attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said he expects additional charges to be made, but continued to insist on his client's innocence.

"His denials are, in my judgment, being confirmed every day," Brafman told reporters after Weinstein's court appearance. "If there's more, we will deal with them when they come."

Weinstein pled not guilty to Monday's new charges of predatory sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, if convicted. The charges are the most serious to date.

Weinstein was charged in May with first and third-degree rape, and multiple counts of sexual abuse stemming from incidents involving two women in 2004 and 2013.

A criminal sex act charge reportedly stems from a 2004 encounter between Weinstein and then-aspiring actress Lucia Evans. In an interview with the New Yorker, Evans said Weinstein forced her into a sexual act during what was supposed to be a script reading at Miramax's Tribeca office in Manhattan.

The victim in the rape charges case has not been identified.

The charges are just the tip of a massive torrent of allegations Weinstein involving dozens of women, including prominent Hollywood actresses such as Rose McGowan and Asia Argento who have been critical to jumpstarting the #MeToo movement that has prompted victims of sexual misconduct to come forward with their stories.