As the New York criminal trial of Harvey Weinstein comes to an end, the legal saga will move to Los Angeles, where four sexual assault charges have been filed against the convicted rapist.
The high-profile criminal trial of Harvey Weinstein in New York came to an end on 24 February when the former movie mogul was convicted of two of the five charges against him, including rape in the third-degree.
Weinstein, who has been remanded until sentencing on 11 March, could now face up to 25 years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender.
While that chapter of his criminal prosecution is nearly over – pending his sentencing and the right to appeal his conviction, which his lawyers have said he will do – another is only just beginning nearly 3,000 miles away, in Los Angeles.
Last month, LA County district attorney Jackie Lacey filed four new charges of sexual assault against Weinstein, including forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of restraint and sexual battery by restraint. Weinstein has denied the allegations.
The new charges stem from allegations made by two women who claimed Weinstein assaulted them in separate incidents in hotels in Beverly Hills and West LA in 2013, the LA Times reported.
One of the women, a former model and actress who has not been publicly identified, alleges Weinstein assaulted her at Mr C’s Beverly Hills hotel in 2013. She previously described the alleged incident to the LA Times, saying Weinstein “grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do”.
Harvey Weinstein was found guilty.
Weinstein also faces allegations by model Lauren Young, one of the six women who testified against the former producer during his New York criminal trial. During her testimony at that trial, Young said she had gone to a Beverly Hills hotel in 2013 in the hope of showing him a film script, The Guardian reported.
Instead, she alleged a female acquaintance led her to the bathroom in Weinstein’s suite and closed the door behind her, leaving Young alone with him. Young alleged that Weinstein turned on the shower and started undressing, before pushing her against the sink and groping her while he masturbated into a towel.
A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Weinstein’s March 11 sentencing would take place before any proceedings were initiated in California.
Image: Getty
Source: Read Full Article