'Sopranos' actress says Weinstein raped her
January 24, 2020
"Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra testified on Thursday that Harvey Weinstein violently raped her more than 25 years ago.
In an emotional testimony at Weinstein's trial, she said that the alleged rape left her feeling like she was having "a seizure" and caused her to self-harm. "It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual," she said. "It was like a seizure or something."
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The alleged attack left her traumatized and withdrawn, and pushed her to start cutting herself afterwards, she said.
Sciorra testified that he had shown up uninvited to her New York apartment in his underwear with a bottle of baby oil in one hand and a video in the other.
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Weinstein, 67, avoided eye contact as the 59-year-old actress recounted the event with tears in her eyes. She told the trial that she never contacted police because she was confused that the incident had been perpetrated by someone she knew.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping actress Jessica Mann. He has also denied all accusations of non-consensual sex.
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Sciorra, who is best known for her role as Gloria Trillio in the American mob drama "The Sopranos," gave evidence to support the prosecution's case that Weinstein was a career sexual predator. Her allegation is too old to charge Weinstein for, but it can substantiate a predatory sexual assault conviction, which carries possible life imprisonment. Such a conviction requires prosecutors to prove he sexually assaulted at least two people.
More than 80 women, including film star Angelina Jolie, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, but the trial, which is scheduled to run into March, relates to just two of his accusers.
lc/rc (AFP, AP, Reuters)