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.
Death Toll Hits Triple Digits, Thousands of Africans Remain in Spanish City in Aftermath of Invasion
Doctor Charged in Massive Medicare Fraud Scheme That Allegedly ‘Exploited Elderly Patients’ and Taxpayers
Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, birth tourism after Supreme Court setback
Missouri neighbor accused of killing mother and teen daughter after confronting family over dispute
Foreign drunk drivers could face swift boot out of country under Trump’s ‘America first’ crackdown
WATCH: Dashcam captures the split second a routine Tennessee traffic stop goes sideways
Fauci’s Nightmare Worsens – Guess Who Just Got a Copy of His COVID-Era Phone?
Trump allies push to arm president with new tariff weapon to punish countries ‘ripping off’ America
Reporter’s Notebook: Summer ends, but the Senate’s fall crunch begins
Solomon investigation into 2020 once again circles back on Maricopa County, Arizona
Blue-State Paradise: New York Police Leader and Ex-Con Husband Helped Gang-Banger Son Plan, Execute Failed Hit Job, According to Authorities
FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe codename ignites suspicion something deeper was at play
Trump Responds to Reports About Dwindling U.S. Weapons Stockpiles, Promises ‘Long Term Jail Sentences’
Bernie Sanders Tells James Carville to Kick Rocks: ‘Start His Own Party’ If He Doesn’t Like Socialism
Tucker Carlson pitches 10-point vision for third-party movement
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.
