After five days of deliberation, Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday of rape and sexual assault, sealing his dizzying fall from powerful Hollywood studio boss and Democrat party mega-donor to convicted rapist.
The verdict followed weeks of often harrowing and excruciatingly graphic testimony from a string of accusers who told of rapes, forced oral sex, groping, masturbation, lewd propositions and how Hollywood’s casting couch works.
The case against the once-feared producer was essentially built on three allegations: that he raped an aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013, that he forcibly performed oral sex on another woman, production assistant Mimi Haleyi, at his apartment in 2006, and that he raped and forcibly performed oral sex on “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra in her apartment in the mid-1990s.
The conviction was seen as a long-overdue reckoning for Harvey Weinstein after years of whispers about his behavior turned into a torrent of accusations in 2017 that destroyed his career and gave rise to #MeToo, the global movement to encourage women to come forward and hold powerful men accountable for their sexual misconduct.
‘High casualties’ feared after two powerful earthquakes rock Venezuela: USGS
Tempers Flare and Voices Are Raised as Trump and Senate Republican Go Toe-to-Toe in Closed Door Meeting
Christian Judge Who Refused to Perform Gay Weddings ‘Vindicated’ in Big Court Ruling
New York congressional primary becomes second most expensive House race ever amid AI fight
Unearthed video exposes vulnerable House Dem’s reversal on crucial issue impacting state
Feds bust a dozen for allegedly smuggling drugs and phones into prisons using ‘heavy payload drone’
Dem Congressional Candidate Caught Bringing Sex Offender Who Victimized 8-Year-Old with Him to School Event
Mamdani-Backed Candidate Who Blamed 9/11 on American ‘Capitalism and Racism’ Wins Democratic Primary
Comer probes alleged Biden collusion with gun control activists in Glock lawsuit
‘He named names’: Trump’s Senate meeting explodes into shouting match over Iran
California sues Trump EPA over move to subject state vehicle emissions waivers to congressional review
‘Free Karmelo’ mob hunted woman in bloody attack as thugs shouted support for killer, victim says
Biden judge torches Trump ICE crackdown as ‘devoid of rational explanation,’ nukes courthouse arrest policy
Letitia James fumes as Mamdani-backed socialists sweep New York primaries
Trump Suddenly Cancels Housing Bill Signing with Minutes to Spare, Demands SAVE America Act on His Desk
Weinstein’s story ensnared several high-profile political figures, media moguls and publications, and left-wing organizations, many of whom the producer had given large donations to or supported in the past. Indeed, Harvey Weinstein had given $10,000 to Bill Clinton’s legal defense fund during the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. The Clinton Foundation accepted some $250,000 in contributions from Weinstein. When asked, the organization said it couldn’t return the money because it had been used. The campaign for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in October 2017 that he would keep the more than $60,000 in donations he received from Harvey Weinstein. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), all said they would donate contributions they received from Weinstein over the years to charitable causes.
The jury of seven men and five women took five days to find him guilty.
Three additional women who said they, too, were attacked by Weinstein also testified as part of an effort by prosecutors to show a pattern of brutish behavior on his part.
Weinstein will reportedly remain in jail until his sentencing, set for March 11.
The New York Times reported:
The judge then announced that Mr. Weinstein would immediately be sent to jail to await his sentencing. But as court officers approached him, the producer seemed stunned and refused to move. Moments later, he was handcuffed and removed from the room, limping with two officers standing by his side.
Story cited here.
