Weinstein Convicted of Rape and Criminal Sexual Act; Acquitted on Other Charges
Harvey Weinstein arriving at the Manhattan Criminal Court on February 24, 2020. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
Harvey Weinstein was found guilty on two counts — criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree — on Monday in New York, but acquitted of the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and rape in the first degree.
The convictions of the disgraced Hollywood producer come more than two years after The New York Times and The New Yorker first published accounts of several women who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, misconduct and sexual assault. Those stories helped trigger a national movement against sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace known as #MeToo.
In 2018, FRONTLINE’s documentary Weinstein examined allegations that he sexually harassed and abused dozens of women over a span of decades and used lawyers, private intelligence firms and non-disclosure agreements to silence his accusers.
Weinstein has continued to deny any criminal or non-consensual sexual conduct.
He faced five charges in the New York City trial, stemming from the alleged sexual assault of one woman in 2006, and the alleged rape of another in 2013. The predatory sexual assault charges, of which he was acquitted, carried a potential maximum life sentence. He had pleaded not guilty.
Weinstein’s publicist told CNN that an effort to file an appeal was already under way. He is expected to be sentenced on March 11.
“While we celebrate this historic moment, our fight to fix the broken system that has allowed serial abusers like Harvey Weinstein to abuse women in the first place continues,” said Tina Tchen, the president and CEO of the Time’s Up Foundation, which was founded to combat sexual harassment in the workplace in the aftermath of #MeToo. “Abusers everywhere and the powerful forces that protect them should be on notice: There’s no going back.”
Weinstein was also indicted on sex crimes charges in Los Angeles in January, the day his trial in New York City began. The Los Angeles County district attorney said at the time that Weinstein was expected to face the California charges once the New York trial ended.
For the full story of how the accusations against Weinstein came to light, and what it meant for the women involved, stream our film below:
