Annabella Sciorra Will Testify Against Harvey Weinstein About Alleged Rape

A grand jury in Manhattan handed up a new indictment making it possible for Ms. Sciorra to tell jurors about her contention that Mr. Weinstein forced himself on her in 1993.

The actress Annabella Sciorra will testify against Harvey Weinstein at his trial in January on rape and other sex-crime charges, Manhattan prosecutors said in court on Monday.

Ms. Sciorra, who is known for her work in “The Sopranos,” has publicly accused Mr. Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in her Gramercy Park apartment in 1993, but the incident was too old to be prosecuted under state law. read more »

The Sisters Who First Tried to Take Down Jeffrey Epstein

Nine years before any police investigation, Maria and Annie Farmer reported the troubling behavior of Jeffrey Epstein and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell. No one would act.

As more women have come forward in recent days to describe assaults at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, Maria Farmer finds herself distraught, wondering what might have happened if someone had taken her seriously.

Twenty-four years ago, Ms. Farmer was an artist who had entered the unorthodox life Mr. Epstein lived behind the doors of his luxury estates. Mr. Epstein had offered to help her painting career, but it all came to an abrupt end one night in the summer of 1996, when she says Mr. Epstein and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, began violently groping her.

She learned later that her 16-year-old sister, Annie Farmer, had been subjected to a troubling topless massage at Mr. Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico. read more »

Former congressman accused of decades-old sexual abuse from his time working at a Boy Scouts camp

A former congressman has denied accusations put forward in a new lawsuit that alleges he sexually abused a teen five decades ago.

Gary Ackerman, who worked as a director of a Boy Scouts camp before starting his political career, is at the center of one of the latest lawsuits to be filed as a part of the year-long open window for the Child Victims Act in New York.

The lawsuit alleges that in 1966 when the victim, whose name is withheld from the suit and who is referred to as John Doe, was 17 years old and Ackerman was 23 years old, Ackerman allegedly fondled and then tried to force the victim to perform oral sex on him before he allegedly performed oral sex on the victim, the lawsuit states. read more »

Jeffrey Epstein accusers will have their voices heard in court today

Jeffrey Epstein is dead, but women who say the wealthy financier sexually molested them when they were underage are expected to take center stage in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday.

Just over two weeks after the 66-year old Epstein died in a jail suicide, the women are expected to speak at a hearing as federal prosecutors formally dismiss the sex-trafficking indictment against him.

Court administrators shifted the hearing to a larger courtroom in anticipation of a crowd.

An attorney representing some of Epstein’s accusers, told NBC News the hearing represents a historic day because “it solidifies the fact that victims are an integral part of the process.” read more »

Uber driver kidnapped teen, planned to sexually assault her, N.Y. prosecutors say

A 15-year-old girl in New York escaped what prosecutors believe was a planned sexual assault by convincing her Uber driver she needed to use the bathroom, then running inside a restaurant and calling police.

Sean Williams, a 32-year-old former Uber driver, is being held on $75,000 bail after he was accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old girl he picked up while on his route in July.

Prosecutors say the parents of the teenager ordered the car service to pick her up from a Sweet 16 party and drive her home safely. However, after retrieving the girl, Williams instead allegedly canceled the route and drove toward his home in Brooklyn.

Laura Ahearn of Parents for Megan’s Law says the organization sent a letter to Uber regarding sexual assaults. They asked the company to start screening prospective drivers before hiring, but she says the letter and phone calls were never returned. read more »