Weinstein convicted
Jury acquits on three most serious counts
After a week of deliberation, a Manhattan jury convicted disgraced movie executive Harvey Weinstein of two sex charges but acquitted him of the three most serious counts. The trial saw six women take the stand to give their accounts of the misconduct that supercharged the #MeToo movement.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. hailed a “good day” for sexual assault survivors and praised the women who testified for enduring challenging cross-examination. The 67-year-old, who was jailed immediately after the verdict, faces up to 25 years in prison at sentencing, now set for March 11.
But Weinstein’s story continues: He is named in many civil actions and another sex crime case is pending in Los Angeles.
YORK – Harvey Weinstein, the formerly powerful movie mogul accused by many women of sexual misconduct that supercharged the #MeToo movement, was convicted of two sex crimes Monday after a weekslong trial featuring graphic testimony from six tearful accusers. Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree related to accuser Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi and rape in the third degree related to accuser Jessica Mann.
Weinstein was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody; his lawyers asked that he be taken to a medical facility. He was to be sentenced March 11.
Two of his lawyers, Donna Rotunno and Arthur Aidala, said they planned to appeal. “As sure as I am bald,” Aidala said.
The split verdict was rendered during the fifth day of deliberations by a jury of seven men and five women who deliberated a total of more than 24 hours.
The verdict was a partial win for the prosecution: Weinstein escaped the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault, plus one charge of rape in the first degree, which spared him the possibility of a sentence that included life in prison.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. hailed the verdict as a win and a “good day” for sexual assault survivors, labeling Weinstein a “vicious serial sexual predator.” He said Weinstein, 67, faces a prison sentence of at least five years and possibly as long as 25 years. Vance praised the accusers who testified for their bravery and for enduring challenging cross-examination.
Vance said he was “not dissatisfied” with the verdict despite not convicting Weinstein on the most serious counts.
“Rape is rape and assault is assault, whether it’s committed by a stranger in a dark alley or a domestic partner in a working relationship,” Vance said after the verdict.
Initial reaction from some activists was tinged with some dismay.
“The split verdict in today’s Weinstein trial speaks volumes about the complicated and difficult process that survivors face in seeking justice and holding abusers accountable,” said EboNEW ny Tucker, executive director of Raliance, a national organization dedicated to fighting sexual violence. “We stand with the women who came forward to share their story and are immensely disappointed that justice was not served for all of them.”
Tarana Burke, the woman who created the #MeToo hashtag and helped found the movement, issued a statement praising the verdict and condemning “unjust laws.”
“Today, a jury confirmed what we all know: Harvey Weinstein committed sexual assault,” her statement said. “This jury worked with an incredibly narrow and unjust set of laws governing sexual assault, and though he was not convicted on all counts, Harvey Weinstein will have to answer for his crimes.”