Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty Of Rape And Criminal Sex Act In Landmark #MeToo Trial
The disgraced producer has been taken into custody in New York
- by
Elyssa Kostopoulos
Following a deliberation period of 26.5 hours, Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty in a New York court of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. However, these are only two of a total five charges against the disgraced producer.
Watch below: Harvey Weinstein sent to trial
In total, six women testified against Weinstein in his New York trial, however, the 67-year-old faced criminal charges in connection with only two of them. The ex-producer was found guilty of charges filed by Miriam Haley – Weinstein’s former production assistant and actress Jessica Mann.
The criminal-sexual-act charge was in relation to accusations by Haley, who testified that Weinstein forced oral sex upon her in her apartment in 2006. “He held me down on the bed, and he forced himself on me orally,” she said. “I was on my period. I had a tampon in there…. I was mortified.” Weinstein was also found guilty of raping Mann at a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
As reported by CNN, Weinstein was acquitted by the jury on two counts of predatory sexual assault and one count of rape in the first degree– the most serious charges he faced that carried a potential life sentence. It was reported last Friday that the jury appeared to be undecided about these more severe charges, however, were urged to continue their deliberations as the prosecution would not accept a “partial verdict.”
Weinstein has been taken into custody awaiting sentencing on March 11, where he could face up to life in prison – five to 25 years for the criminal sexual assault conviction and 18 months to four years for the third-degree rape conviction.
He is still facing rape and sexual battery charges in Los Angeles as well as several civil lawsuits.
