A jury in Los Angeles found Harvey Weinstein guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault.
Guilty charges were filed in February 2013 against Mr. Italian model Jane Doe 1 was charged with rape, oral sex and foreign body sex at Hotel C.
Three other women accused him of rape and sexual assault between 2005 and 2013.
Weinstein was restrained by massage therapist Jane Doe 3 and found not guilty of sexual assault.
Actress and screenwriter Jane Doe 2, formerly known as Lauren Young, accused of sexually assaulting Jane Doe 4, formerly known as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has been charged with raping and oral sex, and a hung jury and failed to do so. let him make a unanimous verdict.
A jury of nine men and three women reached their verdict after 10 days of deliberations and 41 hours of deliberations.
Weinstein, 70, is already serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault after being convicted of various sex crimes in New York in 2020, although he has appealed that sentence.
A total of 44 witnesses testified during the five-week trial, with each of the victims testifying anonymously, although Sybel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, previously identified herself as part of the trial.
Four additional “prior misconduct” witnesses – women who were not part of the case but said they were sexually assaulted by Weinstein – were also allowed to take the stand and provide emotional testimony to establish a pattern of his behavior.
One of those victims, Ashley M., said she was raped by a disgraced producer from Miramax and the Weinstein Company while working as a stunt double for actress Romola Garai at a hotel in Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Sibel Newsom broke down in tears as she recounted how Weinstein raped her at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills in 2005.
“I will stand. I am resisting,” he said. “Horror. I’m shivering. This is my worst nightmare. I’m just a doll he wants to masturbate with.”
Later, she became visibly angry when attorney Mark Werksman asked her to demonstrate how she had “orgasmed” with his client in the courtroom.
Sibel Newsom shot back, “It’s not ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ I will not do that.’
In her closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez said the former Hollywood titan lured women to hotel rooms under the guise of business meetings.
According to Martinez, Weinstein also used his female employees and associates to drive and “deliver” victims to their hotel rooms. After entering the hotel, Weinstein undressed and masturbated in front of the women. Sibel Newsom and Jane Doe 1, a model, both testified that Weinstein penetrated them with his “deformed” penis.
“In short, he was powerful, and he had this power to prey on women, to silence women,” Martinez said. “He used this power without consequences for his predatory behavior. … He believed himself to be very strong. For many years he did. The truth is that many people knew but never did anything.
However, defense attorney Alan Jackson told jurors in his closing argument that prosecutors have presented no evidence that Weinstein carried out the allegations related to the four Jane Does. He added that the other four witnesses to “prior misconduct” were “pretexts to round up” Weinstein.
Jackson said the rape of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 “simply never happened,” while Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4 had “transactional sex” with Weinstein and continued relationships with him because it benefited their careers. a powerful Hollywood producer at the time.
“‘Take my word for it’ is five words that sum up the prosecution’s case,” Jackson said. “They lied to you without exception. Jane Doe 1, 2, 3, 4 all lied to you. … “Anger does not bring facts and tears do not bring truth.”
His 2020 trial in New York took jurors five days to deliberate. Before Weinstein was found guilty of rape and criminal sexual assault. However, he was acquitted of the two most serious charges against him – both counts of aggravated sexual assault.
The allegations in Weinstein’s New York case sparked the #MeToo movement, exposing Hollywood’s “cast couch” culture and predatory practices in other industries.
Weinstein will be sentenced in the new year.
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