Harvey Weinstein is being investigated for “additional violent sexual assaults,” a prosecutor told a Manhattan court on July 9. Prosecutors plan to seek a new indictment against the former Hollywood movie mogul, just months after a previous conviction was overturned.
During a hearing before Justice Curtis Farber in New York Criminal Court, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said the additional assaults allegedly committed by Mr. Weinstein, 72, were still within the statute of limitations and could therefore be charged as crimes.
Ms. Blumberg told the court that prosecutors know of other women who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Mr. Weinstein. Those women were not ready to come forward during his trial four years ago but they are now, she said.
“As we said in 2020, there were women who were not ready to proceed with the legal process. Some of those women are now ready to proceed,” Ms. Blumberg said.
Ms. Blumberg told Justice Farber that prosecutors would be ready to try the case in the fall, although no trial date has been set yet.
The exact nature of the additional allegations made against Mr. Weinstein is unclear. Mr. Weinstein’s legal team have confirmed to The Epoch Times that they are investigating the additional sexual assault claims against their client.
Mr. Weinstein is due back in court on July 19.
Mr. Weinstein, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, was sentenced to 23 years in state prison.
Court Overturns Weinstein’s Conviction
However, in a 4–3 decision in April, the New York Court of Appeals found that Judge James Burke, who presided over the trial, had made “egregious” missteps, including allowing additional witness testimony regarding allegations unrelated to the actual charges against him, in the 2020 case.In its decision, the court said those alleged missteps could easily tarnish a defendant’s character without actually bearing relevance to their credibility concerning the charges levied against Mr. Weinstein in the case.
As a result, the court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial, although no specific date has yet been set.
Despite his conviction being overturned, Mr. Weinstein remains in prison owing to his conviction in a separate rape case in Los Angeles in 2022.
In that case, the Academy Award-winning film producer was found guilty by a jury of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault involving a woman identified in court documents only as Jane Doe 1.
Mr. Weinstein has also denied the allegations in the Los Angeles case, however, he was convicted and given a 16-year sentence.
Mr. Weinstein’s legal team filed an appeal in that case last month, arguing their client did not receive a fair trial because the trial judge wrongly excluded evidence, leading to a miscarriage of justice.
They have further claimed their client is suffering from multiple health issues due to his time behind bars.
More than 80 women have accused the disgraced producer of sexual misconduct, however, Mr. Weinstein has insisted all of his sexual encounters were consensual.
Amid mounting legal challenges, his eponymous film studio, The Weinstein Company, filed for bankruptcy in March 2018.
