Disgraced Hollywood super-producer Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to authorities in New York City Friday morning.
The former movie mogul emerged from a nondescript SUV at roughly 7:25 a.m. ET flanked by NYPD officers and surrendered to authorities in New York City’s first precinct. The scene drew a frenzy of media attention and curious onlookers eager to catch a glimpse of Weinstein, who largely retreated from public view after his downfall.
The surrender happened almost a half hour later than expected. Weinstein was led out of the precinct in handcuffs shortly before 9:00 a.m ET
At least 80 women have accused Weinstein of assault, harassment and inappropriate conduct.
The avalanche of accusations against him spawned the global #MeToo movement, putting a spotlight on sexual misconduct in the workplace across many industries.
In 2015, the Manhattan district attorney’s office began looking into Weinstein after Italian model Ambra Battilana, accused him of groping her breasts.
The Battilana story was first chronicled by Ronan Farrow in his Pulitzer Prize-winning report on Weinstein for the New Yorker. The story presents the accusation along with an audio recording of Weinstein making unwanted advances that Battilana secretly recorded in 2015
At the time, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office decided not to prosecute Weinstein, a decision that has since been widely criticized.