Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape in second criminal trial
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Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court in Los Angeles, California, in October. Photo: Etienne Laurent/Pool via Getty Images
Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape at his second criminal trial on Monday, AP reports.
The big picture: The verdict comes five years after dozens of sexual assault allegations came to national and international prominence amid a wider reckoning with the #MeToo movement. The former film producer is two years into a 23-year sentence for a separate rape and sexual assault conviction.
Driving the news: At the Los Angeles trial, Weinstein was found guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and one other count of sexual misconduct in the case of an unidentified woman known as Jane Doe 1.
- The jury reached the verdict after deliberating for nine days. He faces up to 24 years in prison in addition to the current sentence he's serving from his New York trial.
- Jurors were unable to reach a decision on several other counts, however, including charges stemming from allegations levied by filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
- They acquitted Weinstein of sexual battery as alleged by a third woman.
- On Tuesday, the court declared a mistrial due to no verdicts being reached on allegations from Newsom and one other woman, per CBS News.
What they're saying: "Harvey Weinstein will never be able to rape another woman," Siebel Newsom, California's First Partner, said in a statement following the verdict. "He will spend the rest of his life behind bars where he belongs."
- Siebel Newsom, who testified that Weinstein raped her in 2005, also called out Weinstein's legal team for using "sexism, misogyny, and bullying tactics to intimidate, demean, and ridicule us survivors," Variety reports.
- Defense attorney Alan Jackson had claimed her testimony was "a theatrical, overly dramatized performance" and questioned the validity of the other women's accusations as well, per AP.
- "This trial was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do," Siebel Newsom added. "To all survivors out there — I see you, I hear you, and I stand with you."
Zoom out: The slew of accusations against Weinstein jumpstarted a national conversation about the pervasiveness of sexual harassment, especially in Hollywood.
- He became one of several powerful men felled by the #MeToo movement as prosecutors pursued cases against seemingly untouchable figures.
For the record: Weinstein has maintained his innocence and is appealing his New York conviction to the state's highest court.
Worth noting: British prosecutors announced earlier this year that he would be charged with two counts of indecent assault in the United Kingdom.
Go deeper: How women are faring, 5 years after the Harvey Weinstein exposés
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
