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Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual assault

Harvey Weinstein was on trial for rape in Manhattan.
Harvey Weinstein arrives on court on Thursday. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Harvey Weinstein arrives on court on Thursday. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The jury reached a verdict in the New York rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood mega-producer.

Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault and of rape in the third degree. He was found not guilty of the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and of rape in the first degree.

MORE: Timeline: Harvey Weinstein's path to his New York City rape and sexual assault trial

The criminal sexual assault charge came from Miriam "Mimi" Haleyi, who was a production assistant and said that he assaulted her in 2006. That charge came with sentencing guidelines of five to 25 years.

The charge of rape in the third degree came from another, unnamed accuser, and came with sentencing guidelines of probation up to four years.
 

​ Charges Harvey Weinstein Faces Charges Harvey Weinstein FacesABC Photo Illustration​
 ​​​​​​Charges Harvey Weinstein Faces
ABC Photo Illustration



Weinstein was charged with raping one woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman, who has since identified herself as Haleyi, in 2006. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and claims any sexual encounters were consensual.

In addition to the two women behind those charges, four others testified in support of prosecutors' efforts to demonstrate a pattern of sexual predation.

Prosecutors were attempting to convict him on two predatory sexual assault counts, both of which carried possible sentences of 10 years to life. Ronan Farrow, one of the journalists who reported on the extensive allegations against Weinstein, told "Good Morning America" in January that prosecutors were taking a "big risk" by seeking those charges.

MORE: Weinstein trial spotlights the use of 'prior bad acts' witnesses

"It is difficult this element of proving not only the charges at issue but also a course of conduct, a pattern -- sets a very high goal. It's atypical," he added, saying it's not a "slam-dunk" case. "More often, you'd see something like a prior conviction being the predicate that establishes the pattern. Here, they have to prove brand new additional fact patterns."

Heading into Monday, the jurors had deliberated for 16 hours, including about four hours of testimony being read back.


 

Source: ABC GMA

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