Yahoo News Harvey Weinstein faces assault charges in LA after New York trial ends – so what next?
Harvey Weinstein’s criminal trial has ended in New York City with the disgraced movie mogul convicted on charges of rape in the third degree and a criminal sexual act in the first degree.
He must now face additional allegations in California.
The producer could spend up to 28 years in prison if convicted on the California charges, which include forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery.
Those charges were filed in early January, just as the New York City case was getting started.
In New York, Weinstein was accused of raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on another woman in 2006. He pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
Weinstein must now face sentencing in the New York case. The once-revered Hollywood mogul could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The LA charges were brought by a task force set up by the Los Angeles County district attorney, focusing on alleged sex crimes by entertainment figures.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey addressed the women who have come forward against Weinstein in January, when the charges were first announced, telling them: “We see you, we hear you and we believe you.”
The California charges stem from allegations made by two women, one of whom has testified in Weinstein’s New York City trial, who allege that he attacked them on back-to-back nights in 2013, during the week of the Oscars.
The first woman, who hasn’t been named, alleges that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him and raped her.
Lauren Marie Young, a model and actor, alleges that Weinstein appeared naked during a business meeting, masturbated in front of her and groped her breast.
Young took the stand in New York City on 5 February. She was one of four witnesses put forward by prosecutors under a State law enabling them to get testimony about so-called “prior bad acts”. The prosecution endeavoured to portray an alleged pattern of predatory behaviour on Weinstein’s part.
Additional reporting by agencies
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