Harvey Weinstein Has Been Found Guilty of First-Degree Sexual Assault and Third-Degree Rape
A New York jury has returned a verdict in the Harvey Weinstein trial. The disgraced movie mogul has been found guilty on two counts—a criminal sexual act against former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley and rape in the third degree of an unnamed victim. He was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault and one count of rape in the first degree against Jessica Mann, according to CNN.
The jury of seven men and five women took five days to deliberate before the verdict was announced on February 24. Weinstein will face a minimum five-year sentence on the charges.
It was the stories of Weinstein's harassment and abuse of women, as documented by Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor for the New York Times and Ronan Farrow for the New Yorker, which set off the new era of #MeToo. (The hashtag was first coined by activist Tarana Burke.) Weinstein denied their claims, but the prosecution called numerous witnesses during the trial, including actors like Annabella Sciorra and Mann to discuss their own allegations against Weinstein.
On Friday afternoon, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the jury was seemingly deadlocked on the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault, which carried a possible life sentence, but was unanimous on the three lesser charges. Weinstein was ultimately acquitted of the two counts of predatory sexual assault, and an alternative count of rape in the first degree.
"Thank you for the care and concentration, concern, and attention you have given to your deliberations," Judge James Burke reportedly told the jury before their dismissal.
Weinstein faces a minimum of five years in prison with a 25-year maximum for the sexual assault charge and 18 months to four years for the third-degree rape. Sentencing for Weinstein in this case is scheduled for March 11, and Weinstein still faces four charges of sexual assault in Los Angeles.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
