Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles trial

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a Los Angeles jury on Monday.

More than 80 women have come forward with accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against Weinstein spanning several decades. On Monday, the jury convicted Weinstein of three counts of rape and sexual assault against one woman, a European model and actor identified at the trial as Jane Doe #1.

According to Variety, the jury acquitted him of the felony sexual battery of a massage therapist, identified as Jane Doe #3. And they were split on charges involving two other accusers — Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Lauren Young. The jurors voted 10-2 to convict him on a charge of sexual battery against Young; and 8-4 in favor of conviction on charges of rape and forcible oral copulation of Siebel Newsom. Judge Lisa B. Lench declared a mistrial on the three charges on which the jury was unable to come to a verdict.

As the outlet notes, District Attorney George Gascón said the office would decide later whether to retry Weinstein on those counts. Weinstein, who is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020, now faces a maximum of 18 to 24 additional years in prison for the charges including forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and penetration by a foreign object.

The New York Court of Appeals, which is the highest court in the state, is set to hear the appeal of that conviction next year, according to the report. The Oscar winning producer was charged with seven criminal counts involving four different women. The charges included three counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual battery by restraint, one count of forcible oral copulation and one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

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