Harvey Weinstein found guilty of three sex crimes in Los Angeles

The former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein He was found guilty this Monday of rape and two sexual assaults at the end of his trial in Los Angeles, half of the charges for which he was sued by four women.

After two weeks of deliberations, jurors found him guilty of all charges brought by the first of the four women. He was found not guilty of charges brought by a second woman, and reached no verdict on the charges brought by the other two.

Sight: Weinstein is being held in “medieval” conditions, according to his lawyer

The 70-year-old former “king” of cinema, producer of hits such as “Pulp Fiction” and “The Artist”, was previously sentenced in New York in 2020 to 23 years in prison for similar crimes.

The press investigations that revealed these facts generated the worldwide movement known as #MeToo, making visible sexual violence against women.

During the Los Angeles trial, four women who testified anonymously accused the producer of forcing them to have sex in hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013.

A fifth woman refused to testify.

After weeks of hearings, prosecutions portrayed Weinstein as a “predator” whose hold on Hollywood long prevented his victims from speaking out for fear of repercussions on their careers.

In a gray suit on Monday, Weinstein covered his face with his hands as he pleaded guilty.

After the verdict, a judge will decide the sentence for the former film producer whose films received more than 330 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.

For the charges in which he was found guilty, he faces a sentence that can be up to 18 years in prison, and could be extended to 24 years for aggravating circumstances.

The verdict in Los Angeles was very important to Weinstein because, after the initial rejection of justice – a major victory for the #MeToo movement – the New York Supreme Court finally authorized him in August to file an appeal of his 2020 conviction.

Weinstein’s lawyers questioned the testimonies of four of the complainants and insisted on the lack of material evidence and legal medicine elements.

The defense focused on Jennifer Siebel-Newsom, wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who revealed her identity during the process.

For the lawyers, she had a consensual relationship in exchange for favors in Hollywood, which she later regretted and turned into accusations, amid the wave of revelations against Weinstein in 2017.

Some 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault or rape, but the statute of limitations has expired in many of the cases.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.