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.
Spanish prime minister promises to release all files on Ceuta invasion as thousands of illegal immigrants remain in enclave
Maria Bartiromo no longer with Fox News
Plane Carrying DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Forced to Make Emergency Landing
Lindsay Clancy Effect? Child, 2, Pronounced Dead, Mother Hospitalized in ‘Domestic-Related Homicide’ in Sleepy Suburb
Blue state governor candidate claims he ‘met Satan in person’ in resurfaced podcast episode
Mamdani gives influencers special access as Signal use raises records-law questions
Democrats in Close Midterm Races Keep Telling Kamala Harris to Stay Away
Lindsay Clancy Fans Start Sick TikTok Trend Pretending to Kill Their Babies
Minneapolis apartment shooting suspect was facing eviction: report
Powerful union leader backs Republican in key Senate showdown
Maduro claims immunity, asks judge to dismiss drug-trafficking charges against him and his wife
When gunman forced his way into Virginia elementary school, superintendent says lockdown procedures worked
Gloria Steinem, outspoken feminist leader, dies at 92
Newsom’s South Carolina trip doubles as test of Democrats’ rebuilding strategy
High School Football Hotshots Snub Opponents in Pre-Game Handshake, Get Taught a Lesson on the Field
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.
