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A New York jury on Monday found Harvey Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act, ending a months-long criminal trial in Manhattan that focused on the testimonies of six women who accused him of sexual assault.<\/p>\n
The disgraced Hollywood mogul was immediately taken into custody and could face up to 29 years in prison for the crimes when he is sentenced on March 11. An appeal is expected.<\/p>\n
The jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann and a criminal sexual act of Miriam Haley (n\u00e9e Mimi Haleyi). However, the panel found him not guilty of two of the most serious charges \u2014 predatory sexual assault against Haley, Mann and \u201cSopranos\u201d actress Annabella Sciorra \u2014 and the first-degree rape of Mann.<\/p>\n
Also Read:<\/strong> 6 Harvey Weinstein Accusers Have Testified at His Trial – Here’s What They Said<\/p>\n Donna Rotunno, Weinstein\u2019s lead attorney, said she was \u201cdisappointed\u201d by the verdict and vowed to appeal. \u201cWe knew we came in and we were down 35-0 on the day that we started this trial,\u201d she said. \u201cHarvey is unbelievably strong. He took it like a man. He knows that we will continue to fight for him and knows that this is not over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope women will understand the significance of the jury verdict today,\u201d Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said outside the courtroom, praising Weinstein\u2019s accusers for coming forward. \u201cThese survivors weren\u2019t just brave, they were heroic. Weinstein did everything he could \u2026 to silence the survivors. They refused to be silenced. The spoke from their hearts and were heard. To them I would say: You broke silence to hold him accountable. A generation of sexual assault survivors have heard every word.\u201d<\/p>\n Haley, a former production assistant for the Weinstein-produced TV show \u201cProject Runway,\u201d testified that Weinstein had orally sexually assaulted her at his SoHo apartment in 2006 \u2014 an account that formed the basis of the first-degree criminal sexual act charge and half of the first predatory sexual assault charge.<\/p>\n Mann, a former aspiring actress and hairdresser, said she had been raped by Weinstein at the DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan in 2013, making up the fourth and fifth charges \u2014 first- and third-degree rape \u2014 as well as half of the second predatory sexual assault charge.<\/p>\n To fulfill the requirements of the predatory sexual assault charge, which requires that the prosecution prove the defendant forcibly raped at least two people, Sciorra\u2019s account was paired with Haley\u2019s and Mann\u2019s for the two separate predatory sexual assault charges. Sciorra testified that Weinstein barged into her Gramercy Park home around 1993, raped her and then orally sexually assaulted her.<\/p>\n Also Read:<\/strong> Inside the Harvey Weinstein Jury’s Tricky Task and Why They Can’t Find Him Guilty on All 5 Counts<\/p>\n Throughout the trial, Weinstein\u2019s defense \u2014 led by attorneys Donna Rotunno, Damon Cheronis, and Arthur Aidala \u2014 argued that these encounters were all consensual and that the women were only relabeling the incidents as assault years after the fact. Weinstein\u2019s attorneys also pointed to several friendly emails that Haley and Mann had sent to Weinstein after the alleged assaults to attack the credibility of the women.<\/p>\n But the prosecution, led by assistant district attorneys Joan Illuzzi and Meghan Hast, portrayed Weinstein as a Hollywood titan who used his power to take advantage of and manipulate young women seeking entry into the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n It is not immediately clear how the verdict will impact the Los Angeles district attorney\u2019s office, which is pursuing its own case against Weinstein. The mogul faces L.A.-based charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint. A representative for the L.A. D.A.\u2019s office declined to comment.<\/p>\n Read original story Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Rape, Criminal Sexual Act At TheWrap<\/p>\n<\/div>\n