Disgraced Harvey Weinstein accused of raping assistant in 1970s

Disgraced movie maker Harvey Weinstein is now accused of raping an assistant in the 1970s when he was an up-and-coming Buffalo concert promoter.

He also is accused of exposing himself to an aspiring actress around the same time and coercing her to perform oral sex on him in the hallway of a New York building.

The new allegations, first revealed by the New York Times, push the timeline for Weinstein's alleged abuse a decade earlier than previously reported.

Hope Exiner d'Amore, 62, told the newspaper she was working for Weinstein's Buffalo-based Harvey and Corky Productions four decades ago when Weinstein allegedly attacked her during a business trip to New York City.

"This has haunted me my entire life," she said.

See photos of Harvey Weinstein:

Exiner d'Amore said she agreed to the trip thinking she would be staying in her own room, but when they got to the Park Lane Hotel, Weinstein told her a "mistake" with the reservation meant they had to share.

"I gave him a look like that was ridiculous," she said.

She eventually agreed, unaware it might be a trap. That night, Weinstein climbed into her bed naked and performed oral sex and intercourse on her despite her objections.

"I told him no. I kept pushing him away. He just wouldn't listen," Exiner d'Amore said. "He just forced himself on me."

Cynthia Burr, an actress who appeared in "Scarface," "Lethal Weapon," soap operas and other TV shows, said Weinstein tried to kiss her in an elevator when she agreed to meet with him in the late 1970s.

Despite her protests, Weinstein unzipped his pants and bullied and intimidated her to the point she finally performed oral sex on him in a hallway of an unidentified building in New York City, she told The Times.

"It was just him and me alone," she recalled. "I was fearful I didn't have the wherewithal to get away."

She said Weinstein's tactics made her feel helpless and ashamed.

Women who have accused Harvey Weinstein:

"The way he forced me made me feel really bad about myself," she said. "What are you going to do when you are a girl just trying to make it as an actress? Nobody would have believed me."

Burr, also 62, said the recent outpouring of similar allegations from scores of other Weinstein accusers encouraged her to step forward.

"I'm really sad for everybody, but I'm really glad it's out in the open," Burr said. "I finally felt like I had a voice."

In a blanket statement to the Daily News, a spokeswoman for Weinstein said the former movie mogul continues to refute allegations he ever forced himself on anyone.

"Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein," the statement issued Monday said.

It was a blockbuster exposé in The Times earlier this month that opened the floodgates of allegations against Weinstein.

Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette are some of the high-profile actresses who have accused the fallen filmmaker of sexual harassment.

Rose McGowan, Annabella Sciorra, Asia Argento and Natassia Malthe are among those claiming Weinstein raped them.

The new Times story published Monday added fresh accounts from dancer Ashley Matthau, who had a small part in a Weinstein movie, and Lacey Dorn, a filmmaker who claims Weinstein grabbed her crotch at an event in 2011.

According to Matthau, Weinstein pressured her to meet with him privately in 2004 while they were in Puerto Rico for production of "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights."

Matthau, 36, said she tried to hold Weinstein at bay, telling him she was engaged to be married, but he was aggressive and assured her he only wanted to talk business.

Harvey Weinstein with various celebrities through the years:

She said once Weinstein had her alone in his hotel room, he boasted about other actresses he allegedly slept with and turned into stars.

Matthau said Weinstein pushed her onto the bed, groped her breasts and straddled her naked while he masturbated.

"I kept telling him, 'Stop, I'm engaged,' but he kept saying: 'It's just a little cuddling. It's not a problem. It's not like we're having sex,' " she told The Times.

Matthau later told her fiancé about the alleged attack and hired lawyer John West, a partner at Gloria Allred's firm.

She recalled meeting Weinstein and his lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, to discuss the incident and how they allegedly threatened to smear her with photos taken at parties she attended at the Playboy Mansion.

"We'll drag you through the mud by your hair," Petrocelli said, recalling the warning.

She eventually settled for more than $100,000 and agreed to keep the incident under wraps, The Times reported.

Matthau said she ultimately felt compelled to break her confidentiality clause despite the risk of possible legal damages.

"I want to do my part to help bring this to light so it doesn't happen with other people in Hollywood or anywhere else," she said.