Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty on Two Charges— Everything You Need to Know

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Update: Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty on two charges.

On February 24, after five days of deliberation, a Manhattan jury delivered their verdict, finding Weinstein guilty of a criminal sex act in the first degree (for a 2006 assault on production assistant Mimi Haleyi) and third-degree rape (for the 2013 assault of an unidentified woman). The producer was found not guilty on two counts of  predatory sexual assault, a charge that—if convicted—could have resulted in a life sentence, and not guilty on one charge of rape in the first degree.

According to CNN, sentencing guidelines dictate that the producer *could* potentially face probation to four years in prison for rape in the third degree, and at least five years in prison for a criminal sexual act in the first degree.

His sentencing is set for March 11.

Weinstein also faces charges in Los Angeles. Per the Chicago Tribune, These charges—which were announced on January 6 as the NYC trial was underway—allege that the producer raped one woman and sexually assaulted another during Oscars week in 2013.

The convictions come almost two years after Weinstein was first charged by the Manhattan District Attorney on July 2, 2018. In October 2017, the New York Times and New Yorker published exposés containing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein. More than 80 women, including actors Ashley Judd and Lupita Nyong’o, have come forward with similar allegations against Weinstein, amplifying the existing #MeToo movement to global proportions and sparking the Time’s Up initiative.

While we wait to find out more on Weinstein’s sentencing, here’s everything you need to know about Weinstein, the charges against him and what’s happened up until this point.

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How did these charges come to be?

Weinstein was charged with first-degree rape, third-degree rape, two counts of predatory sexual assault and two counts of committing a first-degree criminal sexual act. As reported by the Associated Press, and CTV, the charges against Weinstein stemmed from three women: two who have not been identified to the press and marketing consultant and former aspiring actress Lucia Evans.

The rape charges involve a woman who has not come forward publicly, but says that Weinstein confined her in a Manhattan hotel room against her will and raped her in 2013. The other charge is from allegations made by Lucia Evans, a former aspiring actress who told the New Yorker that Weinstein forced her to give him oral sex in 2004.

The most recent charges—one count of committing a first degree criminal sexual act and two counts of predatory sexual assault—were laid against Weinstein for performing a forcible sex act on an unnamed woman in 2006.

Weinstein pled not guilty to the charges, and his lawyer told the press that the producer denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Was he in jail while awaiting trial?

Weinstein was released on US$1 million cash bail on May 25, 2018 after his lawyer Benjamin Brafman negotiated a bail package and the presiding judge agreed to it. As reported by the Times, in New York, “the only question a judge may consider in weighing bail is risk of flight, not whether the defendant poses a threat to the community.” Because Brafman successfully argued Weinstein had no record of arrest and will show up for his court appearances, he was free to live at home. The conditions of Weinstein’s bail included him wearing a tracking device and surrendering his passport. Weinstein was also not allowed to travel outside of New York and Connecticut.

Usually, in New York, defendants who do not have the money to post bail end up being held at Rikers Island awaiting their trail, the Times notes. One of Weinstein’s accusers, actor Annabella Sciorra, ‏tweeted that the alleged rapist should nhave bee “behind bars in Rikers” and not walking around free just because he’s rich.

 

Read this next: Harvey Weinstein Says He’s the Real Victim

So what happens next?

On May 30, 2018 a grand jury indicted Weinstein on charges that he forced one woman to perform oral sex in his office and that he raped a second woman at a hotel, the Manhattan District Attorney Office said per the New York Times.

The indictment came less than a week after Weinstein turned himself in to NYPD and was arrested for the alleged sex crimes. He has plead not guilty to these charges.

On June 2 that same year, a grand jury indicted the producer once again on charges that he performed a forcible sex act on an unnamed woman. Weinstein’s attorney confirmed he planned to plead not guilty to these new charges. If he is found guilty for his alleged crimes, he can face up to 25 years in prison.

Will there be more charges laid against Weinstein?

In November 2018, New York police said they were “investigating allegations by another accuser, Boardwalk Empire actress Paz de la Huerta,” who told police in October that Weinstein raped her twice in 2010, as reported by the New York Times. The Times also reports that the grand jury that indicted Weinstein is still hearing from witnesses, meaning they could add charges to his existing ones. “Prosecutors are also digging into the books of Mr. Weinstein’s companies, searching for evidence of financial crimes,” the outlet says.

Authorities in Los Angeles and London have also said that they are investigating allegations against Weinstein. And in England, there’s no statute of limitation on rape cases—which means he could get charged for alleged assaults from decades ago.

With files from the Associated Press

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