Film Producer Harvey Weinstein Convicted In Rape Trial

Harvey Weinstein faces at least 5 years in prison after jurors convict him of a criminal sex act and rape.

The 67 year old was found guilty Monday of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree involving one woman and rape in the third degree involving another woman.

The disgraced movie mogul faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of more than two decades in prison. He was handcuffed and taken into custody after the New York jury’s verdict.

Harvey Weinstein, who long reigned as one of the most influential producers in Hollywood, was found guilty on Monday of two felony sex crimes after a Manhattan trial that became a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement.

But the jury acquitted Mr. Weinstein of the two most serious charges against him, predatory sexual assault.

The jury found Mr. Weinstein guilty of two counts, criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree. On the two counts of predatory sexual assault, the not guilty verdicts suggested that one or some jurors did not believe the testimony of Annabella Sciorra, an actress best known for her work in “The Sopranos.”

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. credited the eight women who took the stand against Weinstein.

“Dawn Dunning, Miriam Haley, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Tarale Wulff, Lauren Young. Meghan Hast, Joan Illuzzi. These are the eight women who changed the course of history in the fight against sexual violence,“

Vance said after the verdict.

“Rape is rape … whether it’s committed by an indigent person or a man of immense power, prestige, and privilege.”

Source: CNN/New York Times

Photo: Harvey Weinstein leaves Manhattan Supreme Court on Feb. 20, 2020 in New YorkAngela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images