Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of a sex crime by a Manhattan jury, marking the conclusion of a three-week retrial that revisited the accusations from his overturned 2020 conviction.
The verdict adds to Weinstein’s legal downfall, following two previous convictions for similar offences.
His initial conviction in New York, which resulted in a 23-year prison sentence, was overturned on appeal.
Separately, he received a 16-year sentence in California after being convicted there.
This retrial was widely viewed as a test of the #MeToo movement’s enduring impact amid shifting public focus toward other social and political causes.
Weinstein, 72, did not take the stand in his own defence and attended the proceedings in a wheelchair from a Manhattan hospital, where he is reportedly being treated for leukaemia.
As in past trials, he maintained his innocence, insisting that the encounters were consensual.
In this case, Weinstein faced charges from alleged assaults on three women.
The jury found Weinstein guilty of one sex crime, not guilty on another count of criminal sexual act and reached no verdict on the single count of rape he had faced.
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Actor and hairstylist Jessica Mann accused him of raping her in 2013, while production assistant Miriam Haley and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola both alleged he forced oral sex on them in 2006.
All three women delivered emotional and detailed testimonies in court.
Prosecutors argued that Weinstein abused his industry clout to manipulate the women with promises of career opportunities, only to later assault them.
Weinstein’s legal team countered by portraying the interactions as consensual and mutually beneficial.
His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told the jury the accusers had a “mutually beneficial” relationship with Weinstein.
“They ended up with auditions and showbiz opportunities,” Aidala said.
The defence introduced testimony from acquaintances of Sokola and Mann, who claimed that neither woman had spoken at the time about being assaulted.
Mann, however, told the court she stayed silent out of fear and disbelief that anyone would take her claims seriously.
Weinstein spent decades as one of the most powerful figures in the film industry.
His career collapsed in 2017 following a wave of sexual assault and harassment allegations, which helped ignite the #MeToo movement aimed at exposing and addressing sexual misconduct.
Over 100 women, including well-known actresses, have come forward with accusations against him.
