Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape
2022.12.20 03:42
Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape
Budrigannews.com – A Los Angeles jury found former movie producer Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape and two other counts of sexual assault on Monday. This was Weinstein’s second conviction. Five years ago, he became the face of the #MeToo sexual abuse allegations movement.
The Los Angeles Superior Court announced that the jury found Weinstein guilty of rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by a foreign object against one woman but acquitted him of charges against a second alleged victim.
The wife of California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, previously admitted that she was Jane Doe 4 in the trial, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on two allegations, including rape. The charges against one additional woman were not decided by the jury.
After being found guilty of sexual misconduct in New York, Weinstein, 70, is currently serving a sentence of 23 years in prison.
Shortly after Weinstein’s 2013 rape conviction at a Los Angeles hotel, the former model and actress who was referred to in court as Jane Doe 1 released a statement.
“That night in 2013, Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me, and I will never get that back. I had to see this through to the end because I knew I had to, and I did. The criminal trial was brutal, and Weinstein’s lawyers put me through hell on the witness stand. I hope that Weinstein will never see the outside of a prison cell.”
On the charges for which he was found guilty, Weinstein faces a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison, but aggravating factors could increase that to 24 years. On Tuesday, attorneys return to the courtroom to present arguments regarding aggravating factors.
In a statement, Elizabeth Fegan, Siebel Newsom’s attorney, stated: Fegan stated, “We are disappointed that the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on Jane Doe 4 although we are encouraged that the jury found Weinstein guilty on some of the counts.”
“She will continue to fight against a system that allows the victim to be shamed and re-traumatized in the name of justice for all women and all survivors of abuse.”
From 2004 to 2013, Weinstein was charged with seven counts of rape and sexual assault by four women in Los Angeles.
In 2010, Weinstein was found not guilty by a jury of a felony charge of sexual battery by restraint involving an alleged assault on one woman, Jane Doe 3. The charges of forcible oral copulation and forcible rape in connection with the alleged attack on Siebel Newsom in 2005 and the charges of sexual battery by restraint in connection with the alleged attack on Jane Doe 2 in February 2013 were not decided by the jury.
In a statement, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón stated: Obviously, I’m disappointed that the jury split on some counts, but I hope the partial verdicts at least give the victims some justice.”
During their five weeks of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusers such as documentary filmmaker Siebel Newsom claimed that Weinstein conned them into attending what they interpreted as business gatherings.
On the counts where the jury was unable to reach a verdict, including the allegations made by Siebel Newsom, Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench declared a mistrial.
During often graphic testimony, the women claimed that the powerful producer of “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love” masturbated in front of them and raped or groped them.
The evidence provided by Siebel Newsom and three other women served as the foundation for the two counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault against Weinstein.
The prosecution’s claims that Weinstein routinely abused his position as a Hollywood power player to prey on women were supported by the accounts of four additional women with similar accounts.
They said he guaranteed assist with getting a tryout or a book bargain, then, at that point, organized gatherings where staff vanished and abandoned them with him.
Weinstein pleaded not guilty and claimed that all of his sexual encounters were voluntary.
As part of what they claimed was a widespread “casting couch” culture in the film industry, defense attorneys argued that the women willingly had sex with Weinstein because they believed he would help their careers. They claimed that the sexual encounters were fabricated in two of the cases.
They also talked about the fact that some of the people who were accused, like Siebel Newsom, kept in touch with Weinstein, which, according to them, made no sense if he had attacked them.
Siebel Newsom went to a pre-Oscars party that Weinstein and her husband hosted, and over the years, Siebel Newsom sent Weinstein dozens of friendly emails.
In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of sexual misconduct in New York. In July 2021, he was extradited from New York to a prison in Los Angeles.
In New York, Weinstein is engaging his conviction and jail sentence.
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The #MeToo movement, in which women voiced their opposition to powerful men’s sexual harassment and abuse in media, politics, and other fields, was fueled by allegations against Weinstein.
