A New York court sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 23 years in prison for sex crimes in 2020. Another trial is now pending in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles / New York – Ex-film producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a long prison sentence for rape and sexual assault, was transferred from New York to Los Angeles on Tuesday (local time).
Prosecutors in California want to try Weinstein on charges made by five women there. The 69-year-old could appear in a court hearing on Wednesday, Weinstein’s lawyer Mark Werksman told the German press agency. The public prosecutor initially did not announce an appointment.
Weinstein was handed over to the authorities on Tuesday morning from a prison in northern New York for transfer to California. His lawyers had tried to postpone the extradition for the past few months. They argued that Weinstein was in poor health and was visually impaired. However, a judge in New York denied her concern in June.
Five women, who were not named, had brought forward allegations of alleged sexual assault against the former film mogul in California last year. These are said to have occurred between 2004 and 2013, partly in hotels in Beverly Hills. The Los Angeles District Attorney has filed charges of rape and sexual assault. If Weinstein is found guilty, he faces life imprisonment.
In February 2020 in New York, the ex-film producer was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a jury and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The sensational trial was mainly about two allegations: Weinstein is said to have forced production assistant Mimi Haleyi to have oral sex in 2006 and raped today’s hairdresser Jessica Mann in 2013. He is serving this sentence in a prison in New York state.
According to current guidelines, the Los Angeles procedure must begin within four months of delivery. There has not yet been a specific date.
His conviction last year marked a milestone in US legal history. In the case that played a key role in triggering the #MeToo movement, the jury believed the testimony of several women against Weinstein’s pledges of innocence and despite the lack of evidence. dpa
