Jurors in the trial of Harvey Weinstein has reached a verdict: the 70-year-old disgraced movie producer has been found guilty on three of the seven counts he faced.
The charges included two counts of rape and five sexual assault counts for incidents occurring between 2004 and 2013. Weinstein, who pleaded not guilty, was found guilty of forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by a foreign object, and forcible rape of Jane Doe 1.
He was found not guilty on the charge of sexual battery by restraint in the case of Jane Doe 3. The trial lasted for several weeks, with around 80 witnesses called to testify.
A jury in Los Angeles declared a mistrial on three of the five charges against Harvey Weinstein on Monday, including sexual battery by restraint of Jane Doe 2 and forcible oral copulation and forcible rape of Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Proceedings will resume tomorrow to decide aggravating factors, which could lead to Weinstein facing a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison.
During opening statements, Weinstein’s attorney, Mark Werksman, argued that incidents between Weinstein and the accusers took place during a time in Hollywood when “transactional sex” was commonplace and labeled the accusers as “hypocrites”.
During the trial, eight women testified, including actress Annabella Newsom, who alleged Weinstein raped her in 2005. Prosecutor Paul Thompson argued that the women feared their careers would be destroyed if they reported Weinstein’s actions.
After a trial that lasted two months, a jury found Weinstein guilty of two counts of rape and one count of criminal sexual act. He was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein’s conviction was appealed in August 2022.