The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that the sexual assault cases against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, as well as cases against actors Steven Seagal and Anthony Anderson, have been sent to L.A. prosecutors for review.
The L.A. district attorney’s office reported on Thursday that the Beverly Hills Police Department was presented with a third sexual assault case involving Weinstein back in June. The department said they are currently reviewing the case along with five others involving Weinstein.
Since last fall, Weinstein has denied engaging in any non-consensual sex. Dozens of women have accused the film mogul of using his power to sexually exploit young women, including many aspiring actresses. The wave of allegations against Weinstein has given rise to the #MeToo movement which has exposed many in Hollywood of sexual assault including actors Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, and Morgan Freeman.
The prosecutor’s office is also reviewing two cases brought to them by the LAPD on Wednesday. One case involves action star Steven Seagal and the other involves Black-ish star Anthony Anderson. Greg Risling, a spokesperson for the L.A. district attorney, did not disclose details of the allegations against the three men.
Seagal recently made headlines this week after he was appointed a special envoy to the United States by Russia. Seagal is both a Russian and United States citizen. The Russian Foreign Ministry made the announcement on Facebook this past Sunday. The ministry said Seagal’s unpaid role would have him “facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges.”
I am deeply humbled and honoured to have been appointed as a special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in charge of Russian and American Humanitarian ties. I hope we can strive for peace, harmony and positive results in the world. I take this honour very seriously
— Steven Seagal (@sseagalofficial) August 5, 2018
Earlier this spring, actor Steven Seagal came under fire when nearly half a dozen women accused the actor of sexual assault. The most extreme allegation came from an extra on his movie On Deadly Ground. Regina Simons, who was an extra on the film, accused him of raping her at his house in 1993, when she was 18.
Arrested Development star Portia di Rossi also came out and accused Seagal of sexual misconduct when he sat her down on a casting couch and unzipped his pants in front of her.
Anthony Anderson has also denied the claims of sexual assault against him. Last month, the website The Blast first reported the news against Anderson.
According to the site, the accuser first met Anderson at an event he hosted. The two then set up a second meeting to discuss possible business opportunities and it was during that meeting where the assault allegedly occurred. It wasn’t until a few months later that she felt comfortable enough to file a police report against the actor. Her motivation to come out against Anderson was due in part to the #MeToo movement.