Ex-film producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a long prison term for rape and sexual assault, is transferred from New York to Los Angeles. Prosecutors in California want Weinstein to be tried on allegations made by five women there.
Weinstein was handed over to the authorities on Tuesday morning (local time) from a maximum security prison in the north of the US state of New York for transfer to California, said a spokesman for the prison administration according to “Variety”. The 69-year-old could appear for a court hearing in Los Angeles this week, his defense attorney Mark Werksman told the Los Angeles Times.
Weinstein faces life imprisonment
Last year in California, five women had brought forward allegations of alleged sexual assault against the former film mogul. These are said to have occurred between 2004 and 2013. The Los Angeles District Attorney has filed charges of rape and sexual assault. If 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. He is serving this sentence in a prison in New York state. His conviction marked a milestone in US legal history. In the sensational case that played a key role in triggering the #MeToo movement, the jury believed the testimony of several women, contrary to Weinstein’s pledges of innocence and despite the lack of evidence. (cat / SDA)
In an article in the New York Times and the New York Post, more than a dozen women accused Harvey Weinstein, 67, of sexual harassment. Some even accused him of raping her. The article triggered a wave of similar allegations against the film mogul, including Hollywood stars like Uma Thurman and Angelina Jolie, and gave the impetus to the worldwide #MeToo movement. On May 25, Weinstein was arrested in New York for two women who had filed charges against him for rape and sexual abuse. The trial began on January 6, 2020. Two women have also filed lawsuits against him in Los Angeles. Weinstein himself said that all sexual acts were consensual. He has now been found guilty of two counts in court.