Grand Jury Issues New Harvey Weinstein Sexual Assault Indictment in Los Angeles, but Extradition Delayed
Harvey Weinstein, convicted rapist and former executive of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, might be heading back to Los Angeles soon to face charges of sexual assault in Los Angeles.
Weinstein has been indicted on 11 counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles Times, including four counts of forcible rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery, and one count of sexual penetration by force, against five women. The alleged assaults all took place in West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013.
No new counts or alleged victims have come forward, with the recent charges simply being upheld by a California grand jury in this new indictment. It is believed that the upholding of these will preempt any issues regarding a speedy trial. It is unclear when exactly Weinstein could be extradited back to Los Angeles, however, especially as Covid-19 has created a backlog of court cases throughout the area. Already his extradition hearing in Erie County, NY, has been pushed back to April 30.
After that hearing, prosecutors would have to wait at least 30 days, especially if Weinstein’s New York lawyers petition governor Andrew Cuomo to block the request.
The actual indictment remains under seal in Los Angeles though Weinstein’s lawyer Mark Werksman called the move “stale, unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, uncredible allegations that arose during the hysteria of the #MeToo movement. We’re confident that Mr. Weinstein will be acquitted because there’s no credible evidence against him.”
Weinstein is currently incarcerated at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York. Last March, he tested positive for coronavirus.
This is one of two trials Weinstein is facing on both coasts. He was sentenced to 23 years in state prison in New York. The convictions were on the charges of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual acts in the first degree following a six-week trial.
The New York trial altogether assessed five criminal counts, including two on predatory sexual assault, one involving Miriam Haley and actress Annabella Sciorra, and the other count pertaining to Sciorra and Jessica Mann. In addition to the predatory counts, Weinstein was also charged with one count of criminal sexual assault (against Haley), and two counts of rape (one in the first degree, one in the third, both involving Mann).