Former Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty on one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree by a Manhattan jury on Wednesday afternoon. The conviction pertains to the assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley. According to Courthouse News Service, Weinstein was acquitted of a similar charge involving Kaja Sokola, and the jury remains deadlocked on a third-degree rape charge related to Jessica Mann, with deliberations ongoing:
Weinstein faced two charges of committing a criminal sex act by forcibly performing oral sex on two women in 2006 — model and actress Kaja Sokola and former production assistant Miriam “Mimi” Haley. Prosecutors also charged the 73-year-old in the third-degree rape of actress Jessica Mann in 2013.
The three women accused Weinstein of using his position as an executive at the powerful Weinstein Company movie studio to coerce them into nonconsensual sexual relationships.
“The defendant wanted their bodies and the more they resisted, the more forceful he got,” Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey said during the trial’s opening in April.
The retrial followed the 2024 overturning of Weinstein’s 2020 conviction, which had previously sentenced him to 23 years in prison. The New York Court of Appeals ruled that the original trial had improperly admitted testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the charges.
Weinstein, 73, is currently serving a 16-year sentence in California following a 2022 conviction for rape and sexual assault. He attended the New York retrial in a wheelchair due to health issues, including leukemia.
The retrial was marked by tensions within the jury. The foreperson expressed concerns about feeling pressured and unsafe during deliberations, citing instances of other jurors attempting to coerce a change in his stance. Despite requests from Weinstein’s defense team for a mistrial based on these concerns, the judge allowed deliberations to continue.
The refusal to declare a mistrial amid alleged juror safety concerns drew sharp criticism from skeptics of Weinstein’s prosecution — most notably, right-wing commentator Candace Owens.
Weinstein’s legal team maintains his innocence, arguing that his interactions with the accusers were consensual. The prosecution, however, presented testimony from the accusers detailing instances of coercion and assault, emphasizing Weinstein’s abuse of power within the film industry.
Sentencing for the latest conviction is pending, and Weinstein’s legal battles continue as the jury deliberates on the remaining charge.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
READ NEXT: GOP Governor Reveals Trump-Like Tactic To Reclaim Order
