Harvey Weinstein Guilty of Rape, Sent to Jail

But he will likely end up in the infirmary for now
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 24, 2020 10:55 AM CST
Updated Feb 24, 2020 11:17 AM CST
Harvey Weinstein Convicted of Rape
Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue in his rape trial, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in New York.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday of rape and sexual assault against two women and could be sent to prison for decades, sealing his dizzying fall from powerful Hollywood studio boss to archvillain of the #MeToo movement, per the AP. He was convicted on charges stemming from a 2006 sexual assault and a 2013 rape. The jury found Weinstein not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence. The most damaging conviction, for the sexual assault of production assistant Mimi Haleyi, would carry a maximum sentence of 25 years. After a judge ordered him sent to jail immediately, Weinstein was hauled out a side door of the courtroom with his hands cuffed in front of him.

The Hollywood mogul had been using a walker to get in and out of court during his trial in Manhattan. Court officers held him up by his arms to help him along as they led him out. Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno had argued that recent back surgery was not successful and that her client needed more medical attention. Judge James Burke said he would make a judicial request for Weinstein to be put in an infirmary. Sentencing was set for March 11. The case against the once-feared producer was essentially built on three allegations: that he raped an aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013, that he forcibly performed oral sex on Haleyi, and that he raped and forcibly performed oral sex on Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra in her apartment in the mid-1990s. Jurors signaled their struggles with the Sciorra charges on Friday, four days into deliberations. (More Harvey Weinstein stories.)

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