This week on Tuesday, July 9th, in a criminal court hearing in Manhattan, New York, prosecutors told the judge that Harvey Weinstein is currently under investigation for “further acts of sexual assault”. Following the overturning of the former Hollywood mogul’s conviction several months ago, the prosecution is planning to re-indict him.
During the hearing presided over by Judge Curtis Farber, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg stated that the 72-year-old Weinstein is still within the statute of limitations for other alleged acts of sexual assault, allowing charges to be brought against him.
Blumberg informed the court that the prosecution is aware of other women who have come forward alleging sexual assault by Weinstein; these women did not come forward during the trial four years ago but are now ready to do so. The prosecution is preparing to try the case in the fall, although a trial date has not yet been confirmed.
The specific details of the additional charges against Weinstein are currently unclear. Weinstein is expected to appear in court again on July 19th. Epoch Times reporters have reached out to Blumberg’s office for further comment on the matter.
As a co-founder of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein was convicted in February 2020 of a first-degree criminal sexual act in 2006 and third-degree rape of an actress in a New York hotel room in 2013, for which he was sentenced to 23 years in state prison. However, he has consistently denied these allegations.
In April of this year, the New York Court of Appeals ruled 4:3 that the presiding judge in Weinstein’s 2020 trial, James Burke, had made “serious” errors, including allowing testimony on charges unrelated to the actual accusations.
The court stated that these errors could easily damage the defendant’s image, unrelated to the credibility of the allegations against Weinstein in this case. Consequently, the court overturned Weinstein’s conviction and ordered a retrial, with a specific court date yet to be determined.
Despite the overturning of the aforementioned conviction, Weinstein remains incarcerated for another rape conviction that occurred in Los Angeles in 2022.
In that case, the Oscar-winning producer was found guilty by the jury of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault, with the victim identified in court documents only as “Jane Doe 1”.
Weinstein also denied the charges in the Los Angeles case, but was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison, currently serving his time at Rikers Island in New York.
Last month, Weinstein’s legal team filed an appeal in that case, arguing that the defendant did not receive a fair trial, as the trial judge improperly excluded key evidence, leading to a wrongful verdict. They also claimed that Weinstein, suffering from various illnesses due to his extended incarceration, is enduring significant hardships.
Over eighty women have accused the disgraced producer of sexual misconduct, but Weinstein has maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual.
Facing mounting legal challenges, Weinstein’s film production company, The Weinstein Company, declared bankruptcy in March 2018.
Epoch Times has attempted to reach out to Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, for comment. ◇