Harvey Weinstein Rape Victim Steps Out of Shadows to Reveal Identity

Harvey Weinstein Rape Victim Steps Out of Shadows to Reveal Identity

By: Ellen Cans

A woman who became instrumental in the case against Harvey Weinstein, is stepping out of the shadows.

In 2013, the Hollywood movie titan was convicted in a rape case in Los Angeles, by a victim identified as Jane Doe 1.  This woman is now stepping forward to reveal herself as Evgeniya Chernyshova– a former Siberian model currently working as a florist.  “I want my life back. I’ve been raped. This is my story,” she told the Hollywood Reporter.  The Los Angeles case against the 70-year-old former film producer had included testimony alleging sexual assault from four women.  Of them, only Chernyshova’s charges resulted in a conviction—sentencing him to 16 years in prison.  He is also serving a 23-year sentence in connection to a New York case involving sex assault charges.

Explaining to the tabloid why she chose to stay anonymous until now, Chernyshova said, “I did it because I was ashamed and humiliated.  She added:  “I thought it was a good decision to protect my kids. But it was a horrible decision for myself because I’ve been cut off from everyone. It isn’t right to go through this hell alone.”

Chernyshova had reported her experience with Weinstein four years after it happened, being encouraged by her then-teenage daughter to speak out, the magazine reported.  She claims that she met the producer at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival, and that he had showed up unexpectedly at her hotel room later that night.  “He opened his pants, and I became hysterical,” she recounted. “I was continuing to show my kids’ pictures, to try to convince him that, ‘I have kids, please do not do that.’ But he did what he did. He assaulted me in the bedroom, and then he dragged me to the bathroom and he raped me there.”

Per the Post, Chernyshova had addressed the court during the sentencing, telling the judge that no prison sentence could be long enough to repair the damage Weinstein did to her. In December, Weinstein was convicted on three counts for his encounter with Chernyshova, being sentenced to 16 years in relation to the case.

Chernyshova told the magazine that for her the aftermath was disastrous, leading her into depression, excessive drinking, and eventually her divorce.  “I was hating myself,” Chernyshova shared. “I was thinking all the time, ‘There were a lot of beautiful women and stars there, and he chose you. So it’s you who did something.’ I was depressed, I was mentally not stable. I was out of my mind.”

As per the Post, Weinstein had tried to appeal the court’s decision in the case.  He had spoken to the court with a desperate plea at the time.  “This is another story, and with all due respect, Jane Doe 1 is an actress. She can turn the tears on. Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case,” Weinstein had told the court.  “This is a setup. I beg your mercy.”