Harvey Weinstein, film producer and co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, was found guilty of two of five criminal charges. On Feb. 24, after deliberating for five days, the jury convicted Weinstein on one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and one count of rape in the third degree.
First-degree criminal sexual assault carries a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and allows for a maximum of 25 years.
The “Weinstein scandal” began in Oct. 2017, when The New York Times reported that dozens of women accused Weinstein of sexual assault and rape that occurred during the the past thirty years. Weinstein denied “any non-consensual sex,” but he was arrested in New York and charged with rape and other offenses.
According to cbsnews.com, one of the 12 jurors who found Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape and criminal sexual assault said, “they focused on the law and the testimony they heard and did not let the cultural impact of the #MeToo movement influence their decision.” Drew, who was juror number nine, said the deliberation took an emotional toll on him and other jurors.
At the trial, six women testified that Weinstein had sexually assaulted them. The charges themselves rested on the complaints of two women, a production assistant and a former actress, who gave the jury accounts from 2006 and 2013.
In an article published by reuters.com, Weinstein’s attorneys will seek to overturn the sex crimes convictions by arguing that the jury was prejudiced by testimony from women unconnected to prosecutors’ underying case. But, according to the article, he faces a legal hurdle after being convicted on some of the most serious charges.
Weinstein’s sentencing is scheduled for March 11, and he faces up to 29 years in prison for sexually assaulting a former production assistant, Mimi Haleyi, and raping a former actress, Jessica Mann.
Weinstein, 69, was ordered to be held in custody until his sentencing, but as with many high profile defendants, Weinstein is using claims of medical frailty to delay the process. Weinstein was seen entering court bent over using a walker, but a photo leaked to the New York Post shows Weinstein shopping in Target with no walker, suggesting that the scene portrayed in front of the jury is merely an attempt to gain sympathy. According to his attorney, Weinstein was later taken to the Bellevue Hospital with chest palpitations and high blood pressure. Critics argue that his hospitalization is merely a ploy to avoid jail time with whatever excuse he can muster.
Juror No. 2 in the Weinstein case told “Inside Edition” that one of the trial’s key witnesses, Annabella Sciorra, was convincing to most of the people on the panel, even though the movie mogul wasn’t convicted of the most serious charge of predatory sexual assault. “I wouldn’t say it wasn’t convincing. It was very convincing to a lot of jurors,” the female juror said, “I felt like the way things went for her, it was very much wrong. And I felt like hopefully with the verdict that we gave, she feels she has some type of closure.” Annabella Sciorra, an actress with a role in “The Sopranos,” testified at the court in New York.
In an interview with CNN.com, Sciorra said her testimony was painful but necessary. She added that she and other accusers should not regret breaking their silence.
The high profile case is far from done with these guilty verdicts, as Weinstein is appealing the ruling and prosecutors in Los Angeles build a case to bring against him in the near future after more than 80 women accused the producer of sexual misconduct.
