Mr Weinstein turned himself in to police in the city earlier in the day.
Dozens of women have made allegations against the 66 year old, including rape and sexual assault, and giving rise to the #MeToo movement.
Mr Weinstein has denied committing any non-consensual sex acts. He is now out on bail, wearing a monitoring device.
A statement from the New York Police Department said Mr Weinstein "was arrested, processed and charged with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women".
He arrived at the police station in lower Manhattan at 07:30 (12:30 BST) on Friday, carrying three books. After having his mugshot and fingerprints taken, he was led out in handcuffs and taken to court.
During a brief court appearance, during which Mr Weinstein did not speak, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi said the former mogul had "used his position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually".
Mr Weinstein was released on a $1m bail bond. His lawyer Ben Brafman told reporters outside the court the disgraced mogul would enter a not guilty plea.
"We intend to move very quickly to dismiss these charges," Mr Brafman said. "We believe that they are constitutionally flawed. We believe that they are not factually supported by the evidence."
In its statement, the New York Police Department thanked "these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice".
Details of those making the accusations have not yet been officially released, but former actress Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein forced her into oral sex in 2004, is thought to be one of the women whose cases triggered the charges.
These are the first criminal charges against Mr Weinstein, who already faces a raft of civil lawsuits.
The allegations against the disgraced mogul triggered the #MeToo movement, which sought to demonstrate and draw attention to the widespread prevalence of sexual abuse and harassment.
Dozens of women have made allegations against the 66 year old, including rape and sexual assault, and giving rise to the #MeToo movement.
Mr Weinstein has denied committing any non-consensual sex acts. He is now out on bail, wearing a monitoring device.
A statement from the New York Police Department said Mr Weinstein "was arrested, processed and charged with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women".
He arrived at the police station in lower Manhattan at 07:30 (12:30 BST) on Friday, carrying three books. After having his mugshot and fingerprints taken, he was led out in handcuffs and taken to court.
During a brief court appearance, during which Mr Weinstein did not speak, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi said the former mogul had "used his position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually".
Mr Weinstein was released on a $1m bail bond. His lawyer Ben Brafman told reporters outside the court the disgraced mogul would enter a not guilty plea.
"We intend to move very quickly to dismiss these charges," Mr Brafman said. "We believe that they are constitutionally flawed. We believe that they are not factually supported by the evidence."
In its statement, the New York Police Department thanked "these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice".
Details of those making the accusations have not yet been officially released, but former actress Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein forced her into oral sex in 2004, is thought to be one of the women whose cases triggered the charges.
These are the first criminal charges against Mr Weinstein, who already faces a raft of civil lawsuits.
The allegations against the disgraced mogul triggered the #MeToo movement, which sought to demonstrate and draw attention to the widespread prevalence of sexual abuse and harassment.
He won't be convicted. Waiting 14 years to come forward in one case and 5 years in other is going to weigh strongly with any jury. They got a conviction in the Cosby case because the victim was drugged. In the Weinstein cases it's going to be he said, she said. No doubt Weinstein has committed heinous acts but being charged and being convicted are two different things. I also don't believe the jury can use what all the other victims claimed because there are no charges in those cases. Basically all these women never went to the police immediately after the sexual assaults to have a rape kit done or the very least to have DNA evidence to prove it was Weinstein because they were all afraid of not working in Hollywood. Also rumors have been out there about Weinstein for years yet women continuously put themselves in a position where they could be assaulted. Why not audition for work for movies where he wasn't the producer or director.
hno:
Happy 68th Harvey
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[h=1]Harvey WeinsteinFILM PRODUCER[COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8)]ar
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