Fallen Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and two counts of sexual battering against an Italian artist and model – known only as Jane Doe 1 – by a Los Angeles jury.
After a protracted trial of heated debates and painful discussions, the three guilty counts marked the second conviction of the onetime Hollywood kingmaker after a series of petitions of sexual abuse that emerged five years ago.
The jury on Monday also acquitted the 70-year-old or could not reach a verdict in the cases of the three other accusers.
Sex Crimes
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Weinstein is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of sex crimes by a court in New York City.
“Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night in 2013 and I will never get that back,” Jane Doe 1 said in a statement issued shortly after Monday’s verdict.
“The criminal trial was brutal and Weinstein’s lawyers put me through hell on the witness stand, but I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I did. I hope Weinstein never sees the outside of a prison cell during his lifetime,” she said.
Weinstein faces up to 18 years in prison on the counts for which he was convicted, but aggravating factors could increase that to 24 years.
Harvey Weinstein the end
The charges Weinstein was acquitted of on Monday involved a sexual battery allegation made by a massage therapist who serviced him at a hotel in 2010. Jury members were also unable to reach a judgement in the charges involving two other accusers, notably rape and sexual assault charges involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Harvey Weinstein will never be able to rape another woman. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars where he belongs,” Siebel Newsom said in a statement.
“Throughout the trial, Weinstein’s lawyers used sexism, misogyny, and bullying tactics to intimidate, demean, and ridicule us survivors. The trial was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do,” she said.