Harvey Weinstein Is Being Returned to New York

He won't be retried on rape, sexual assault charges in California
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 14, 2023 2:49 PM CDT
Weinstein Won't Be Retried on Rape, Sex Assault Charges
Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 4 2022.   (Etienne Laurent/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Los Angeles prosecutors told a judge Tuesday that they will not retry Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted of the rape and sexual assault of one woman, on counts involving two others that left jurors deadlocked. Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson announced the decision to Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles. The judge granted a defense motion to dismiss the charges and said Weinstein would be returned to New York, where he was convicted in a similar case, the AP reports. Weinstein attorney Jacqueline Sparagna said he maintains his innocence of the charges. In December, a Los Angeles jury convicted Weinstein, 70, of the rape and sexual assault of an Italian model and actor.

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. That’s in addition to the 23-year sentence he is already serving in New York. Jurors could not reach unanimous verdicts on a rape count and a sexual assault count involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom—a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom—and a sexual battery count involving model Lauren Young. Young testified at Weinstein's New York trial as a supporting witness. She said at Tuesday's hearing that she was “very disappointed” prosecutors would not be moving forward with a retrial. "I have not achieved the justice that I had hoped to obtain," she said. Ten of the 12 jurors agreed to convict Weinstein of the sexual battery charge involving Young.

Thompson said the difficulty of having hesitant witnesses corroborate Young's story was a factor. He commended Young for testifying “credibly and courageously." He added that Weinstein would likely only face an additional year in prison if convicted on the sexual battery count, and that additional stretch was not worth another trial. Siebel Newsom's attorney Elizabeth Fegan said in a statement after the hearing that they respect the prosecution's decision not to retry the charges related to her. "The First Partner’s primary intention in coming forward was to ensure that Weinstein spends the rest of his life in prison," Fegan said

(More Harvey Weinstein stories.)

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