LA City Attorney Encourages Victims To Come Forward So Harvey Weinstein Can Be Prosecuted

As the list of Harvey Weinstein's victims grows longer with each passing day, the former mogul has lost his company, his reputation, and his wife. But that isn't enough, not by a long shot. The Los Angeles City Attorney feels the same way, which is why he is encouraging victims to come forward so justice can be served in the form of full prosecution of Weinstein.

LA City Attorney Mike Freuer, issued a statement, making it clear that the allegations would be taken with much more than a grain of salt.

"We take allegations like these very seriously, and where the facts support conviction, we will prosecute."

Weinstein retained noted Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Blair Berk in preparation for the criminal investigation in LA. With thirty women and counting accusing her client of rape and sexual harassment, Berk has a fight on her hands to keep him out of prison. In 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill ending the statute of limitations on rape cases, so even though some of the allegations date back over thirty years, Weinstein could be prosecuted for every one, resulting in an extended stay in prison if he's convicted.

California and New York aren't the only cities with intent to pursue charges against the Oscar-winning Weinstein if victims come forward. According to Page Six, British police are investigating claims from a woman who said Weinstein assaulted her in London in 2010, 2011, and 2015.

With reported assaults surfacing in several cities, the odds are high that Weinstein could end up behind bars in at least one, preferably the jurisdiction with the longest prison sentence. Investigators are actively searching for evidence to leverage against the disgraced film executive, with Freuer pulling no punches in his public plea for victims to come forward so they could make a case against a predator:

“The Weinstein allegations have placed a bright spotlight on sexual harassment and sexual abuse, especially in the workplace. As brave victims come forward, others have been encouraged to do the same. And our nation must now confront these significant issues in a profound way.From our prosecutions in this area, I know it takes tremendous courage for women and men to share often intimate details of sexual harassment or abuse. We know this is not just a Hollywood thing—it’s a workplace thing, arising all too often in virtually every industry.Indeed, while most people don’t work in the entertainment industry, victims of sexual harassment and abuse share many of the very same concerns we’ve heard about in recent days: Will my job be on the line if I say something? Will I be publicly humiliated? Will anyone believe me—and will anyone stand up for me?I am here to say we will. We take allegations like these very seriously, and where the facts support conviction, we will prosecute. I’m very pleased that LAPD recently issued a call for alleged victims to come forward so LAPD can investigate. Please come forward so that your cases—and justice—can be pursued.”

Even though the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 11, gives a charged individual the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, this is one case where the burden of proof should be on the Defendant. As the saying goes, "where there is smoke, there is fire," and the real travesty here would be if Weinstein does somehow remain a free man after all of the pain and trauma he has inflicted.

[Sources: Page Six, NPR, and Deadline]