Movie producer Weinstein to surrender on sex assault charges

Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender Friday morning to authorities in New York on sex assault charges.

The imminent criminal charging of Weinstein, which was first reported by the New York Daily News, follows a seven-month investigation, which included the Manhattan district attorney's office.

A person familiar with the case confirmed the report to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Other news outlets also reported Weinstein was expected to surrender.

Weinstein's spokesman Juda Engelmayer and Weinstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman both declined to comment.

More than 70 women have accused the co-founder of the Miramax studio and The Weinstein Co of sexual misconduct spanning decades, including rape.

The allegations, first reported by the New York Times and the New Yorker last year, gave rise to the #MeToo movement in which hundreds of women have publicly accused powerful men in business, government and entertainment.

Weinstein will be charged over an allegation by at least one accuser, Lucia Evans, a former aspiring actress.

Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

Earlier this month, a Delaware bankruptcy judge approved a private equity firm's purchase of the Weinstein Co., the studio forced into bankruptcy by the sexual misconduct scandal.

Dallas-based Lantern Capital emerged as the sole qualifying bidder for the company.

Lantern offered to pay $310 million in cash for the Weinstein Co.'s assets and to assume $127 million in project-related debt.