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Harvey Weinstein charged with multiple sex crimes in Los Angeles on the same day his trial begins in New York Harvey Weinstein charged with multiple sex crimes in Los Angeles on the same day his trial begins in New York
(about 4 hours later)
Harvey Weinstein was charged Monday with a pair of alleged sexual assaults in Los Angeles, hours after the frail-looking former Hollywood tycoon slid his walker into a Manhattan courtroom for the kickoff of his criminal trial there. NEW YORK Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer who has come to symbolize the #MeToo movement, was charged with sexual assault in Los Angeles on Monday, hours after he slid his walker into a Manhattan courtroom for the start of his criminal trial here.
Weinstein — visibly aged since his May 2018 arrest in New York — was in court with his five attorneys for a final conference before jury selection formally begins his long-awaited trial for rape, criminal sex act and predatory sexual assault. Weinstein — visibly aged since his May 2018 arrest in New York — was in court with his five attorneys for a final conference before jury selection begins in his trial on allegations involving two women who have accused him of rape and other sexual offenses. He has pleaded not guilty.
It is unclear if the charges on the West Coast will affect plans to proceed with jury pre-screening in Manhattan Supreme Court Tuesday morning. Hundreds of prospective panel members are expect to file into Justice James Burke’s courtroom for an initial round of dismissals. It was not immediately clear if the charges filed in Los Angeles will affect plans to proceed with jury pre-screening in Manhattan Supreme Court, which is scheduled for Tuesday morning, but a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said that Weinstein is not expected to appear in court there until his trial in New York concludes.
At Monday morning’s conference, Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala made a request for the jury to be sequestered in the event Los Angeles or another jurisdiction brings charges once the trial starts. Weinstein, 67, remains under investigation as well in Dublin and London.
The request was denied before Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey made public that she would announce charges at 11 a.m. on the West Coast. The charges in Los Angeles involve alleged encounters with two women, a day or two apart, in February 2016, authorities said. In all, eight people have come forward there to report crimes involving Weinstein, officials said. In three cases, the statute of limitations had expired, so charges were not filed. The other three remain under investigation.
“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. “I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them. It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward.” Prosecutors in Los Angeles are recommending a $5 million bail in a case for which he faces up to 28 years in prison.
Aidala told Burke he didn’t know of any concrete charging plans elsewhere in the pipeline. But recent news reports suggested that the probe in Los Angeles was picking up steam. One set of charges relates to an encounter with a woman inside her hotel room during a Hollywood film festival, authorities said. Weinstein forced her to perform a sex act on him before raping her, according to a criminal complaint. The woman told investigators she did not report the crime at the time because Weinstein threatened her life.
The second accuser said Weinstein violated her in a Beverly Hills hotel bathroom after meeting Weinstein at a restaurant for what she thought was a business meeting, according to the complaint. He allegedly led her to a bathroom, showered briefly and then masturbated while grabbing her breast, according to court papers.
“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,” Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement. “I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them. It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward.”
At Monday’s hearing in New York, which concluded before officials’ announcement in Los Angeles, Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala asked that the jury to be sequestered to preempt the possibility that charges could be brought in another jurisdiction once the trial starts. The request was denied.
The challenges in the highly anticipated Harvey Weinstein trialThe challenges in the highly anticipated Harvey Weinstein trial
Dozens of women have accused the 67-year-old former producer of sex crimes or sexual harassment since the #MeToo movement was launched in late 2017. Dozens of women have accused the former producer of sex crimes or sexual harassment since the #MeToo movement was launched in late 2017.
Aidala said “the worst thing that can happen” is for Weinstein’s trial in New York to be interrupted after several weeks and suggested such a development after jury selection could lead to a mistrial. Weinstein and his legal team deny that any of the acts he’s accused of were nonconsensual.
He argued that Weinstein wanted to avoid that at all costs. Aidala, in seeking the jury sequestering, said “the worst thing that can happen” is for Weinstein’s trial in New York to be interrupted after several weeks and suggested such a development after jury selection could lead to a mistrial.
“He’s not looking for a mistrial. He’s looking for a conclusion to this,” Aidala said.“He’s not looking for a mistrial. He’s looking for a conclusion to this,” Aidala said.
Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon objected to the request to have the jury sequestered. Weinstein is out on $2 million bail and required to wear a monitoring bracelet. He is not allowed to leave the New York area.
Weinstein is currently out on $2 million bail put up by local bondsman Ira Judelson who has also required him to wear an ankle bracelet. He is not allowed to leave the area. Los Angeles authorities have issued a warrant for Weinstein’s arrest but authorities there indicated they will not seek his extradition or surrender until his trial ends.
It is likely that Los Angeles authorities would issue a warrant to begin an extradition process. Authorities there could strike a deal with prosecutors in New York that would set up a timeline for his transfer there. Weinstein is on trial in Manhattan for allegedly raping a woman in 2013; she has not been publicly identified. The charges also include an allegation of forced sexual activity involving a former production assistant, Mimi Haleyi, in 2006.
Weinstein is on trial in Manhattan for allegedly raping a woman in 2013; she has not been publicly identified. The charges also include an allegation of a forced encounter with former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006. He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison on the top count, predatory sexual assault, which requires a pattern of sex crimes. Prosecutors are expected to call as a witness actress Annabella Sciorra, who accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in her Manhattan apartment in 1993.
He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison on the top count, predatory sexual assault, which requires a pattern of sex crimes. To meet the burden, prosecutors expect to call actress Annabella Sciorra, 59, who has accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in her Manhattan apartment in 1993.
A lengthy jury selection process is expected and testimony will not begin for at least two weeks.A lengthy jury selection process is expected and testimony will not begin for at least two weeks.
Three additional women, including one who will say she was raped in 2005, are expected to be called as supporting witnesses but are not formally part of the charges. Three additional women, including one who will say she was raped in 2005, are expected to be called as supporting witnesses but are not formally a part of the charges.
Reis Thebault in Washington contributed to this report.