Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein hired Black Cube, an Israeli private detective firm, in an attempt to block the New York Times from publishing sexual assault allegations against him.
Lawyer Dev Sen, of the New York law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, confirmed that his company connected Black Cube with Weinstein to “provide intelligence which will help the client’s efforts to completely stop the publication of a new negative article in a leading NY newspaper.”
Boies Schiller Flexner signed a sealed contract with Black Cube, under the direction of Weinstein, which would award the Israeli firm $300,000 if they successfully kept the article from being published. The contract was personally signed by David Boies, a known champion of liberal causes, leading the New York Times to end his employment as a legal adviser to the paper.
Weinstein, 67, is standing trial for rape in New York, where he faces five counts with the possibility of life without parole. Journalist Ronan Farrow reported on the Israeli firm’s work to befriend Weinstein’s accusers in an attempt to gain critical information the movie producer could use against them.
Weinstein is also facing an indictment in Los Angeles, where prosecutors have charged him with forcible oral copulation, forcible rape, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint.
