New York grand jury indicts Harvey Weinstein on new charges

New York grand jury indicts Harvey Weinstein on new charges
UPI

Sept. 12 (UPI) — A New York grand jury on Thursday indicted Harvey Weinstein on new charges, months after his original conviction on rape charges in the state.

The New York grand jury indictment was sealed until arraignment, so the charges weren’t immediately known Thursday.

Prosecutors presented evidence on three alleged sex assaults not part of the previous sexual assault case against Weinstein, ABC News reported.

The assaults allegedly happened between late 2005 and mid-2006 in Manhattan, according to a court hearing transcript last week.

The new indictment was made public by prosecutor Nicole Blumberg, who told Judge Curtis Farber it is under seal. Farber scheduled the trial for Nov. 12.

Weinstein was indicted as he recuperates from emergency heart surgery. If medically necessary, a judge ordered him housed in the Bellevue prison ward rather than in Riker’s Island.

Weinstein will be arraigned on the new charges following his medical recovery.

Weinstein, a former film producer whose sexual misconduct was at the center of the #MeToo movement, was convicted of rape in 2020, but in April the New York Court of Appeals overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.

He was convicted on separate rape charges in California and sentenced in 2023 to 16 years in prison.

The new indictment Thursday comes as Weinstein awaits his New York retrial expected to happen this fall. He got 23 years in prison in the New York rape case that will be retried.

The 4-3 appellate decision that overturned Weinstein’s original New York rape conviction was based on the trial judge’s error of letting women testify about allegations against Weinstein that were not part of the case.

Prosecutors said in July in the retrial, new allegations of sexual assault are expected to be included.

More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sex crimes and he has repeatedly denied guilt, claiming the sexual encounters were consensual.

Authored by Upi via Breitbart September 12th 2024