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Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty Monday of rape and sexual assault of one of four women he was accused of assaulting in Los Angeles. #me too movement.
Weinstein, who said prosecutors used Hollywood clout to lure women to private meetings and assault them, was found guilty of three of the seven counts against him.
After weeks of emotional testimony and 10 days of deliberation, a Los Angeles jury found Weinstein on one count of sexual assault with restraint committed against a massage therapist in a hotel room in 2010. acquitted. , her one count of forced oral copulation and her one count of rape in connection with her two other women – including: jennifer siebel newsoma filmmaker and original partner of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
All three charges against which Weinstein was convicted (rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object, and forced oral copulation) all came about when the movie mogul assaulted Weinstein in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013. was tied to one of the model and actress’s accusers who testified that
The woman identified in court as Jane Doe was the first person to testify at the trial.
“That night in 2013, Harvey Weinstein destroyed a part of me forever. I will never take it back. The criminal trial was brutal. But I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I hope I never see Harvey Weinstein outside a prison cell while he’s still alive.
Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to all seven indictments against him.
Weinstein spokesperson Judah Engelmeyer said in a statement, “Harvey is clearly disappointed, but this particular accuser has sufficient grounds to appeal based on the time and place of the alleged events. “He is grateful that the jury has taken the time to consider other charges, and he is prepared to continue fighting for his innocence.” increase.”
Weinstein could face up to 24 years in prison for his conviction in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. The once-powerful film producer was convicted in a 2020 New York rape case, and he is already serving a 23-year sentence.
A jury will return to court on Tuesday to consider aggravating factors to help determine the outcome of Weinstein’s sentencing hearing, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The district attorney’s office will meet to decide whether to re-hear the counts on which the jury disagreed, officials said.
Elizabeth Fegan, attorney for Sebel Newsom, identified as Jane Doe 4 in court, is disappointed the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on charges related to her client said.
“My client Jane Doe4 shared her story not in the hope of testifying, but in support of all the survivors who bravely came forward. While we are encouraged to convict Weinstein on the count of 1, we are disappointed that the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on Jane Doe 4. We are disappointed that the victim has been served in the name of justice. I allow myself to be humiliated and traumatized again,” Fegan said in a statement to CNN.
A jury in Los Angeles reached a verdict after deliberating for a total of 41 hours. That’s more time than the New York jury in the first criminal trial where Weinstein was convicted. Criminal sexual activity and 3rd degree rape after 26 hours of deliberation. His attorney appealed the conviction, and attention was focused on the outcome of the trial in Los Angeles.
Jane Doe2, identified as Lauren Young, called her attorney, Gloria Allred, saying Weinstein had been convicted on several counts despite a miscarriage of justice on her count. He said he was happy to
In a statement read by Allred, Young said, “Harvey Weinstein should be punished for the crimes he committed and used his power to blackmail and sexually assault more women. I am relieved to have been convicted because I cannot do that.”
The weeks-long trial saw emotional testimony from Weinstein’s accusers, including models, dancers and massage therapists. siebel newsom -All were asked to detail the details of the allegations against him, provide details of meetings with producers from several years ago, and describe their reactions to the alleged assault.
Weinstein initially faced 11 indictments, but four indictments involving unnamed women were dropped without explanation. she did not testify in court.
of closing argumentLos Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez, called Weinstein a “giant” in Hollywood who used his powers to prey on and silence women.
“Rapists rape. You can see patterns,” fellow prosecutor Paul Thompson told jurors.
Weinstein’s attorneys, meanwhile, insisted the allegations were fabricated or consensual as part of a “business relationship” with the filmmakers, and reiterated that there was no evidence of assault.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson called the accuser a “fame and fortune seeker.”
The Los Angeles trial also included testimony from other eyewitnesses, including experts, law enforcement, a friend of the accusers, and a former aide to Weinstein.
moreover, four women They testified that they were subjected to similar acts by Weinstein in other jurisdictions.
Each morning at the trial, Weinstein was taken out of the correctional facility, donned a suit and tie, and drove to the Los Angeles courtroom with his writing notebook.
His accusers all began their testimony, often emotional, by identifying him as they watched him in court.
“He’s wearing a suit, a blue tie, and he’s staring at me,” Siebel Newsom said last month before one of the most emotional moments of the trial. Stein testified that he raped her in a hotel room in 2005.
During the trial, defense attorney Jackson asked jurors “can we take what[Jane’s actions]say as gospel,” arguing that there was a lack of forensic evidence to support their claims. .
“Five words that sum up the prosecution’s entire case: ‘Take my word for it,'” Jackson said. “Take my word that he showed up in my hotel room without notice. Take my word for it, take my word for it, I said no.
Siebel Newsom described an hours-long “cat-and-mouse period” prior to her alleged assault. She, like other accusers, said she felt “frozen” that day.
Weinstein’s attorneys have not denied the incident happened, but believe it was consensual.
Jackson called the case “consensual transactional sex” and said, “Remorse is not the same as rape. And it’s important to make that distinction in this court.”
In his closing arguments, Martinez emphasized the women who testified despite knowing they would face tough situations in court.
“The truth is that you know the despicable actions the defendant has committed because you are sitting here. “It’s just that Herbie is Herbie. That’s what Hollywood is. And everyone has been doing it for a long time. Everyone just turned their heads.”
