New York prison officials handed over convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein to be taken to California on Tuesday to face additional sexual assault charges, ending the former movie producer's protracted fight to delay his extradition. Weinstein, 69, was released by the New York State corrections department around 9:30am, a department statement said. Weinstein's spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, said that Weinstein's lawyers were still trying to negotiate an extradition waiver but that the transfer was expected, the AP reports. "We will be fighting so that Harvey can receive his needed medical care and of course, so that he can be treated fairly," Engelmayer said. "Due process, presumption of innocence, and a fair trial are all still his right." Details of Weinstein's travels were not immediately known.
A New York judge in June approved Weinstein's extradition, denying his request to remain at a state prison near Buffalo—where he is serving a 23-year sentence for a rape conviction last year—until jury selection begins in the Los Angeles case. Weinstein was charged in January 2020 with 11 sexual assault counts in California involving five women, stemming from alleged assaults in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 2004 to 2013. The charges include rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, and sexual penetration by use of force. Weinstein maintains his innocence. A lawyer for one of Weinstein's accusers, who has not been identified by name in the case, applauded Tuesday's transfer. "The opportunity to hold Weinstein accountable for his actions in California gives voice to the survivors including my client," attorney Elizabeth Fegan said in a statement, adding, "They deserve to be heard."
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