Harvey Weinstein faces a new sex crime charge. The accuser has never gone public

NEW YORK (AP) — Seven years after sexual assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein turbocharged the #MeToo movement, the ex-movie mogul faces a new sex crime charge from an accuser who's never told her story publicly.

While awaiting retrial on other sex charges in a landmark #MeToo case, Weinstein pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new charge of forcing oral sex on a woman in a Manhattan hotel in spring 2006.

Prosecutors released no details about her, and Weinstein's lawyer said he had no idea who she is. But an attorney said that she represents the woman and that she has never made her accusation public.

“She will be fully prepared to speak her truth at trial to hold Mr. Weinstein accountable before a jury of his peers,” the lawyer, Lindsay Goldbrum, said in a statement. She said the woman doesn't want to be identified for now, and the law firm declined to say anything more about her or her accusation.

According to the indictment and another court document, the alleged assault — the specific charge is a “criminal sex act” — happened at a lower Manhattan hotel between April 29, 2006, and May 6 of that year.

Weinstein has long maintained that he never engaged in any sexual activity that wasn’t consensual. Defense attorney Arthur Aidala reiterated Wednesday that his client “never forced himself on anyone.”

Aidala said he had “absolutely no clue” about the accuser’s identity or the specifics of the allegation.

“We have a lot of work to do. We have to find out who that person is. We have to do an investigation,” he said outside court.

The 72-year-old Weinstein, who is recovering from emergency surgery, came to court in a wheelchair, carrying two novels with him. He appeared to watch the proceeding intently.

The once-powerful studio boss became a #MeToo archvillain in 2017, when reporting by The New York Times and The New Yorker pulled back a curtain on claims about his behavior that had long been known around Hollywood.

The outpouring touched off a far broader reckoning with sexual misconduct, and the allegations led to Weinstein's professional downfall, multiple lawsuits and criminal charges on both U.S. coasts. His 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction was a watershed #MeToo moment, followed by his 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to decades in prison.

But New York state’s highest court this spring overturned his 2020 conviction, which was based on accusations from two women. The high court, called the Court of Appeals, said the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony based on allegations that were not part of the case. That judge’s term expired in 2022, and he is no longer on the bench.

The Court of Appeals ordered a new trial, which had been scheduled to start in November but now is likely to be delayed.

The new judge on the case, Curtis Farber, set an Oct. 2 hearing to discuss scheduling and rule on whether the new charge will be wrapped into the retrial, a consolidation that prosecutors want but Weinstein's lawyers oppose. Aidala said Weinstein wants to go to trial as soon as possible, but his defense team doesn't want to rush its work on addressing the new charge.

Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on at least one additional sex crime charge that wasn’t part of the earlier case. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment Wednesday.

Prosecutors had said that the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged assaults, in hotels and a residential building, from the mid-2000s to 2016.

Aidala said Weinstein was “somewhat relieved” to find only one charge on the new indictment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the investigation continues.

“Thanks to this survivor who bravely came forward, Harvey Weinstein now stands indicted for an additional alleged violent sexual assault,” Bragg, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Weinstein remains in custody while awaiting his New York retrial.

The 72-year-old has been at a Manhattan hospital following emergency surgery Sept. 9 to drain fluid around his heart and lungs. He takes as many as 19 different medications for his various health ailments, Aidala said.

Once one of the most influential people in the movie business, Weinstein co-founded the film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company and produced films such as “Shakespeare in Love” and “The Crying Game.”

Harvey Weinstein appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Harvey Weinstein, center, appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Harvey Weinstein, center, appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Harvey Weinstein appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Harvey Weinstein, center, appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

Harvey Weinstein, center, appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

Harvey Weinstein appears in criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

FILE - Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, May 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, Pool, File)

ROME (AP) — Backroom clashes with Roma CEO and general manager Lina Souloukou. Frustration over the way the club attempted to offload prized forward Paulo Dybala to Saudi Arabia. The failed acquisition of Federico Chiesa.

Reports over why Daniele De Rossi suddenly fell out of favor at Roma are running rampant in the Italian capital — and it’s not just about the squad going winless in its opening four matches this season.

Owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin could quell the speculation and explain why they fired the beloved former club captain De Rossi and hired Ivan Jurić to coach the club.

But the Friedkins have never spoken publicly in the four years since they purchased Roma from fellow American James Pallotta.

“The club’s decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages,” Roma said in a brief statement on Wednesday. “A heartfelt thank you to Daniele, who will always be at home at the Giallorossi club, for the work he has done in recent months with passion and dedication.”

The single sentence devoted to De Rossi was a far cry from the 2 ½-minute video capturing his career as both a player and a coach that Roma produced in June when the club extended his contract for three more years.

The contract extension was made official two months after it was first announced, and only five months after De Rossi was hired to replace José Mourinho.

“We couldn’t be happier to build a long-term project with Daniele,” the Friedkins said in an April statement.

So, what happened between June and mid-September?

Well, Roma’s transfer campaign began late when Florent Ghisolfi was hired as sporting director at the end of May after producing success at Lens and Nice.

Romelu Lukaku’s loan spell ended. Fullback Leonardo Spinazzola didn’t have his contract renewed and signed with Napoli on a free transfer.

De Rossi acknowledged that he didn’t know the first signing, Enzo Le Fée, a French midfielder who plays in the same position where De Rossi once excelled.

Fullback Nicola Zalewski and midfielder Edoardo Bove, both homegrown 22-year-olds, were removed from the squad. Zalewski is out of favor after refusing transfers while Bove was loaned to Fiorentina.

Asked about Zalewski, De Rossi said it was “a choice the club made.”

Chiesa, who was at the top of De Rossi’s wish list, left Juventus for Liverpool, and forwards Matías Soulé and Artem Dovbyk were signed instead. Former Germany center back Mats Hummels, who was out of contract, was a late addition and still hasn't made his debut for Roma.

“If you’ve practically revolutionized the squad you’ve got to give him time — not fire him after four rounds,” Fabio Capello, who coached Roma to its last Serie A title in 2001, said in the Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.

Dybala had entertained a lucrative move to Al-Qadsiah that would have been welcomed by Roma’s cost-cutting management. But then the often-injured forward unexpectedly decided to turn down the Saudi Arabian offer that would have earned him nearly $85 million over three years and stay at Roma, where he had reportedly already cleaned out his locker.

Dybala’s contract with Roma expires at the end of this season and he reportedly has a clause in his contract that requires 15 appearances this season for an automatic renewal for one more year.

Since deciding to stay, he has played in all three of Roma’s matches — which could have meant that De Rossi was going against management’s wishes.

“Coach, it hasn’t been many months, but they were sufficient to convey many things on a sporting and a humane level,” Dybala wrote on Instagram after De Rossi’s firing was announced. “Soccer is often unfair.”

But soccer is also big business and the Friedkins have poured nearly $1 billion in investments into Roma without seeing the team compete once in the lucrative Champions League. Mourinho directed the team to the Conference League title in 2022 and the Europa League final a year later; and De Rossi helped the club to the Europa League semifinals last season.

But having been unable to build its own stadium after first presenting plans a decade ago, Roma is still struggling financially and was recently fined 2 million euros ($2.22 million) by UEFA for “slightly” exceeding an intermediate savings target.

Jurić was given a contract through the end of the season that includes an automatic renewal in the case of Champions League qualification.

The work starts Sunday when surprise Serie A leader Udinese visits the Stadio Olimpico, where fans could protest over the firing of De Rossi.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Genoa's Alessandro Vogliacco fights for the ball with Roma's Niccolo Pisilli, left, during the Serie A soccer match between Genoa and Roma at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)

FILE - Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi calls out to his players during the Europa League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

FILE - Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi waits for the start of the Europa League second leg semi-final soccer match between Leverkusen and Roma at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

Genoa's Caleb Ekuban, left, and Roma's Paulo Dybala battle for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Genoa and Roma at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)

FILE - Roma manager Daniele De Rossi speaks to his team during a Serie A soccer match against Atalanta at Gewiss Stadium, in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)