Harvey Weinstein Convicted of Three Sex Crimes in California

Mr. Weinstein, as soon as some of the highly effective males within the film enterprise, was convicted of forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration with a overseas object, and forcible rape. He was acquitted of 1 depend of sexual battery by restraint.

The costs on which the jury didn’t attain a verdict embody extra counts of sexual battery by restraint, forcible oral copulation and forcible rape.

Mr. Weinstein is already a convicted intercourse offender, having been discovered responsible of rape and felony sexual assault in 2020 in New York. Throughout that trial, he was acquitted of fees associated to predatory sexual assault.

He may face a long time in jail in California, together with the 23 years to which he was sentenced in New York. The jury will hear extra arguments Tuesday that would assist decide the size of his sentence in California.

Attorneys for Mr. Weinstein declined to remark, as did the assistant district attorneys who prosecuted the case.

Because the co-founder of Miramax and Weinstein Co., Mr. Weinstein patented the art-house hit, producing such films as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” which racked up awards and box-office gross sales. He is among the few modern-day producers to have grow to be a family title.

Mr. Weinstein noticed his empire collapse following allegations of sexual harassment revealed in 2017 by the

New York Instances

and the New Yorker. The articles led to a motion generally known as #MeToo, as ladies shared tales of sexual assaults within the office and past.

Mr. Weinstein’s trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court docket concerned allegations of sexual assault introduced by 5 ladies they stated occurred between 2004 and 2013. He was initially indicted on 11 counts, however Decide Lisa Lench dismissed 4 counts—two every of rape and forcible oral copulation—after prosecutors declined to pursue allegations involving a girl recognized as Jane Doe No. 5.

Mr. Weinstein, 70 years previous, pleaded not responsible. The protection argued that there was no bodily proof and stated two of the accusers have been mendacity and the opposite two have been reframing consensual relationships to capitalize on the #MeToo motion. 

The trial, which unfolded not removed from the place Mr. Weinstein as soon as presided over purple carpets, grew to become for jurors a tour of the rarefied—and secretive—life the producer as soon as led.

The managing director of the Peninsula Lodge in Beverly Hills, the place a number of of Mr. Weinstein’s alleged assaults occurred, testified that the producer was identified to spend dozens of nights on the property annually. A receipt cited by attorneys referred to a room fee of $3,400 an evening. 

When a witness, a music supervisor, testified {that a} mannequin had recounted an assault by Mr. Weinstein, the lawyer requested if he had acknowledged the title.

“Everybody is aware of who Harvey Weinstein is,” he replied. 

Mr. Weinstein, for his half, typically sat silently within the courtroom, often whispering to his attorneys. His swimsuit held on his gaunt body, and his lawyer repeatedly cited his poor well being.

The trial’s most high-profile witness was Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the spouse of California Gov.

Gavin Newsom.

She testified that Mr. Weinstein raped her almost 20 years in the past after the 2 had met at a celebration on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition.

Years earlier than she would grow to be generally known as California’s first companion—a title she adopted after saying “first woman” wasn’t inclusive—Mrs. Siebel Newsom was a working actress and producer. In 2005, she booked a number of visitor roles on TV and bit elements in impartial movies when Mr. Weinstein allegedly approached her at a celebration in the course of the Toronto pageant. 

“It felt just like the Crimson Sea was parting,” she stated, describing how the group accommodated Mr. Weinstein’s arrival. “I don’t know if it was deference or concern.” 

—Alicia A. Caldwell contributed to this text.

Write to Christine Mai-Duc at christine.maiduc@wsj.com and Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com