Harvey Weinstein ‘admits to groping model’ in 2015 police sting recording after she told cops he grabbed her breasts and asked if they were real
MOVIE mogul Harvey Weinstein was allegedly recorded by cops apologising to an Italian model who accused him of groping her breast, according to reports.
The 2015 recording — part of a criminal probe that was later dropped — emerged as stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie accused him of pestering them for sex.
The Oscar-winning producer, 65, was also accused of raping three women in explosive new allegations that rocked Hollywood.
The producer, not charged with criminal offences despite a police investigation into his conduct two years ago, has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
Last night New Yorker magazine posted an audio clip online in which Weinstein apparently admits he groped former Miss Italy finalist Ambra Battilana — before saying: “I’m used to that.”
Ambra, then 22, went to cops complaining he had pawed her breasts, asked if they were real and tried to put his hand up her skirt at his office in Manhattan in March 2015.
Investigators from the NYPD’s Special Victims Division equipped her with a hidden microphone before she confronted Weinstein the next day at the nearby Tribeca Grand Hotel.
The two-minute clip reveals Weinstein alternating between desperate pleas and angry threats as he tried to get Ambra into his hotel room.
She can be heard directly accusing him of manhandling her, saying with a thick accent: “Why yesterday you touched my breast?”
Weinstein replies: “Oh, please. I’m sorry. Just come on in. I’m used to that.”
Ambra, sounding shockled, asks: “You’re used to that?” Weinstein replies: “Yes, come in.”
The former Miramax studio boss is also heard vowing “I won’t do it again” and “I will never do another thing to you.”
He says: “Please, I am not going to do anything. I swear on my children. Please ...I’m a famous guy.”
But his tone changes when Gutierrez resists his cajoling.
He says: “Don’t embarrass me in the hotel. I’m here all the time.
“You’ll never see me again after this, if you embarrass me in this hotel.
“Don’t ruin your friendship with me for five minutes.”
The entire recording, only part of which was posted online, captured Weinstein bragging about the many actresses whose careers he advanced, offering to get Ambra a dialect coach and repeatedly urging her to go with him to a room upstairs where he planned to shower, according to the New Yorker.
Two weeks later, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance decided not to press charges.
An NYPD source who worked on the case expressed outrage at that decision to the New Yorker.
The source said: “We had the evidence. It’s a case that made me angrier than I thought possible, and I have been on the force a long time.”
What we know so far...
- On October 5th, The New York Times publishes an article about Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct revealing settlements with at least eight women.
- The movie mogul then issues a statement admitting he has "caused a lot of pain" apologising for his actions.
- He's fired by the board of the Hollywood business he launched - The Weinstein Company - with "immediate effect."
- His growing list of accusers include Angelina Jolie, Asia Argento , Gwyneth Paltrow, Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd.
- The New Yorker claims three women have accused him of rape, allegations he “unequivocally denies”.
- British wife Georgina Chapman announces she is leaving him saying: "My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered."
- Weinstein reportedly heads for therapy for "his sex addiction and behavioural issues" at a European clinic.
- The Oscar winner's film credits include Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting and Django Unchained, Gangs of New York and Shakespeare in Love.
Last week reports claimed Weinstein's former attorney David Boies gave Vance a $10,000 for his re-election campaign four months after the decision to drop the sex assault case.
Vance declined to comment on that alleged donation at the weekend.
Today his office insisted the tape was not enough evidence to bring Weinstein to court.
Chief Assistant DA Karen Friedman-Agnifilo said: “If we could have prosecuted Harvey Weinstein for the conduct that occurred in 2015, we would have.”
Last night Weinstein's British fashion designer wife Georgina Chapman said she was leaving him after a flood of revelations about his "unforgivable actions".
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