A jury of eight men and four women found Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape during his trial in Los Angeles on Monday.
The jury deliberated for nine days which spanned over the course of more than two weeks, according to the Associated Press. Jurors found Weinstein guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and one count of sexual misconduct. A mistrial was declared in the case involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and of one other woman due to the jury’s inability to reach a unanimous decision, the AP reported.
Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday on three charges of rape and sexual assault.https://t.co/JPrLr09cJo pic.twitter.com/6YChTwr71W
— Variety (@Variety) December 19, 2022
The disgraced movie mogul now faces up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced for this latest conviction, according to the Associated Press. Weinstein has already served two years of his 23-year sentence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York.
“It is time for the defendant’s reign of terror to end,” Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez said during the prosecution’s closing arguments, according to the Associated Press. “It is time for the kingmaker to be brought to justice.”
Seventy-year-old Weinstein was accused of having committed the crimes in this case between 2005 and 2013, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: Quentin Tarantino Reveals Why He Never Confronted Harvey Weinstein)
#BREAKING Jury finds Harvey Weinstein guilty on 3 of 7 counts in Los Angeles sex-assault, rape trialhttps://t.co/SgyDo3IaTq
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) December 19, 2022
“In a word, he was powerful, and he held that power to prey on women, to silence women,” Martinez said, according to the NY Post.
“He used that power without the consequences of his predatory behavior,” Martinez added, according to the outlet. “He believed he was so powerful. For many years that’s what he did. The truth is, many people knew but never did anything.”
Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to comment on the verdict immediately after the ruling was made, the AP reported.