WEINSTEIN HIT WITH NEW SEX CHARGES
INDICTED IN L.A. Ex-film mogul’s rape trial starts in New York
Harvey Weinstein was charged Monday with rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles, hours after the frail-looking former Hollywood tycoon slid his walker into a Manhattan courtroom for the start of his criminal trial there.
Weinstein, 67, is accused of raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in 2013, Los Angeles District
Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement before holding a press conference.
“We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them,” Lacey said.
The victims weren’t identified and Lacey said that they haven’t come forward publicly before, although she said one is expected to testify at Weinstein’s trial in New York.
And more charges may still be pending in Los Angeles against the former movie mogul. Three women’s claims are still being investigated, Lacey said. She said other claims couldn’t be prosecuted, either for lack of evidence or because the statute of limitations had expired.
Beverly Hills Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli said if there are other victims, she’d encourage them to come forward because she’s intent on leaving “no stone unturned.”
Hours before the L.A. announcement, Weinstein — visibly aged since his May 2018 arrest — was in Manhattan Supreme Court with his five attorneys for a final conference before jury selection begins his long-awaited trial for rape, criminal sex act and predatory sexual assault against two women.
It is unclear if the charges on the West Coast will affect plans to proceed with jury pre-screening Tuesday.
A second phase of jury selection is scheduled to begin on Jan. 14, though the judge overseeing the case said that date was “optimistic.”
Donna Rotunno, Weinstein’s lead counsel in New York, declined to comment on the Los Angeles charges, saying she needed more information. Weinstein’s spokesman also declined to comment.
“Once the defendant’s case is completed in New York, we expect him to appear in a courtroom in Los Angeles County to face these charges,” the Los Angeles prosecutor said.
Lacey said Weinstein went to a hotel room on Feb. 18, 2013, forced his way into an unidentified woman’s room and raped her. The next evening, Weinstein allegedly assaulted a woman in a hotel suite in Beverly Hills, the prosecutor said.
He faces up to 28 years in state prison if convicted on the charges, Lacey said.
The indictment heightened the emotions of women who have been part of the #MeToo movement. More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct dating back decades. He has denied the allegations, saying any sexual encounters he had were consensual.
“L.A. INDICTMENT! Cant breathe,” wrote Rose McGowan, who has accused Weinstein of raping her, on Twitter. “Happy trial day to you, Mr. Weinstein. Welcome to the rest of your life, hope you’ll have as much fun as we have had being in your jail.”
Earlier on Monday, Weinstein hobbled in and out of the Manhattan court, aided by a walker and with a member of his team holding his arm as he recovers from recent back surgery.
Judge James Burke ordered Weinstein’s lawyer Rotunno to refrain from talking about witnesses, after she was accused of making degrading and humiliating comments in recent interviews, which she denied.
One of the women Weinstein was charged with assaulting, former production assistant Mimi Haleyi, has said that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 2006. Prosecutors say Weinstein raped the second woman, who has not been publicly identified, in 2013.
Nearby the courthouse, the Silence Breakers, a group of Weinstein accusers, including actresses Rosanna Arquette and McGowan, held a news conference and waved signs demanding accountability for Weinstein.
“As we stand here at the beginning of a new year and a new decade, time’s up on sexual harassment in all workplaces,” said Arquette, referencing the #TimesUp movement that opposes sexual harassment.