Harvey Weinstein Faces New Criminal Charges, Reports Reuters

By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Prosecutors announced on Thursday that Harvey Weinstein has been charged with new criminal offenses as the Manhattan district attorney’s office prepares to retry the former movie mogul following the annulment of his rape conviction.

In 2020, a jury in Manhattan found Weinstein, 72, guilty of rape; however, the New York Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in April, ruling that he did not receive a fair trial due to the judge’s decision to allow testimony from accusers he had not been formally charged with assaulting.

In July, Manhattan prosecutors revealed they were investigating additional violent sexual assault allegations against Weinstein after several more women agreed to testify against the co-founder of Miramax. Weinstein continues to deny any non-consensual sexual encounters.

During a hearing before Judge Curtis Farber in New York state court on Thursday, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg stated that a grand jury had indicted Weinstein on additional charges but did not clarify the specific nature of the crimes.

Weinstein was not present during the hearing. He was taken to the hospital from Rikers Island jail on Sunday to undergo emergency heart surgery, and his lawyers have indicated he is facing numerous health challenges.

Weinstein’s defense attorney, Arthur Aidala, mentioned that the grand jury was looking into three unspecified matters, though it was unclear whether this referred to particular incidents or the number of accusers involved.

Judge Farber has tentatively scheduled the trial to begin on November 12, with prosecutors affirming their readiness to proceed on that date. Aidala indicated that his legal team would seek to delay any trial that includes the new charges.

Despite the overturning of his New York conviction, Weinstein remains incarcerated due to a separate rape conviction in California.

At the hearing, Judge Farber ordered Weinstein to remain detained at Bellevue Hospital after determining that his recent health issues indicated inadequate treatment at Rikers.

A #METOO MILESTONE

Weinstein’s initial conviction in New York was regarded as a significant moment for the #MeToo movement, which has seen numerous women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against men in various fields, including entertainment, media, and politics.

A jury concluded that Weinstein sexually assaulted former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. These two women are part of the more than 80 individuals who have accused him of such offenses.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the New York case and received an additional 16-year sentence for a separate case in California, where a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of multiple sexual crimes involving a single victim but acquitted him on charges related to another accuser. The judge in that case declared a mistrial for the counts where the jury was deadlocked, which included allegations made by Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The California conviction remains unaffected by the top court’s ruling in New York, and Weinstein has yet to begin serving his California sentence.

Miramax, the film studio behind hits like "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction," filed for bankruptcy in March 2018 after allegations against Weinstein led to its downfall.

During his 2020 sentencing hearing in Manhattan, Weinstein expressed concern about the "thousands of men who are losing due process" amidst the #MeToo movement.