The woman Harvey Weinstein is convicted of raping in 2013 – leading to a 16 year prison sentence – has come forward to reveal herself as a Siberian model-turned-florist.
“I want my life back. I’ve been raped. This is my story,” Evgeniya Chernyshova, who had previously only been identified as Jane Doe 1, told the Hollywood Reporter.
Of the four women to testify they had been sexually assaulted by Weinstein in Los Angeles, Chernyshova’s charges were the only ones to result in a conviction.
Explaining why she has remained anonymous until now, she added: “I did it because I was ashamed and humiliated.
“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 reported her encounter with Weinstein — who is also serving a 23 year sentence in New York case on sex assault charges — four years after it happened, at the urging of her then-teenage daughter, according to the magazine.
She described being introduced to the disgraced movie mogul 10 years ago at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival, then returning to her hotel alone. As she was getting ready for bed, she got a call from the front desk saying she had a guest, which turned out to be Weinstein. She tried to brush him off, but a few minutes later, he was knocking on her room door.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, it’s Harvey Weinstein. Open the door. We have to talk. I’m not going to f–k you, I just have to talk to you.’”
Chernyshova said she reluctantly opened the door and he rushed into the room, sitting down and taking his jacket off. She claims after a little small talk Weinstein quickly attempted to turn things sexual.
“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.”
Westein was convited in December on three counts related to his encounter with Chernyshova: Eight years for forcible rape, six years for forcible oral copulation and two years for sexual penetration by a foreign object.
The aftermath of the attack left Chernyshova broken — as she cycled through depression and excessive drinking which she claimsa eventually led her to 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.”
Chernyshova addressed the court during the sentencing, telling the judge there was no prison sentence long enough to repair the damage Weinstein has caused her.
Weinstein — who also had an appeal for a re-trial denied — also spoke, in a desperate bid to proclaim his innocence, claiming to have never even met Chernyshova.
“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,” he told the court.
“This is a setup. I beg your mercy.”
