Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape at Los Angeles trial

Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a Los Angeles court on Monday, five years after allegations against him helped mobilize the epoch-making #MeToo movement.

In the case of a victim known as Jane Doe 1, Weinstein was convicted of rape, forced oral copulation and an additional sexual misconduct charge. But jurors could not reach a decision on several other counts, including charges that involved Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who is married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A mistrial was declared on the counts involving her and another woman.

Weinstein, who was already behind bars for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York, faces a sentence of up to 24 years in L.A — likely spelling life in prison for the 70-year-old.

The jury of nine men and three women reached the decision following deliberation that began Dec. 2. Jurors returned to the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge on Monday following a four-day weekend.

During deliberations, jurors asked Judge Lisa Lench to have testimony read back to them on at least two occasions, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The court did not immediately offer information about communications between jurors and the judge so as to not “impinge on the deliberative processes of the jury.”

Jurors deliberated for 37 hours before taking their weekend break, then returned for a tenth day of discussions Monday.

Prosecutors and Weinstein’s defense did not immediately comment.

Weinstein was tried on seven counts of sexual misconduct. Four of the initial 11 counts against him were previously dropped.

Siebel Newsom testified against Weinstein. She accused the 70-year-old producer of sexually assaulting her at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills in 2005 when she was trying to break into the movie business.

Attorneys for Weinstein grilled Newsom, 48, in November, accusing her of consenting to sex with the defendant as a means of advancing her career. She was asked to fake an orgasm for the court after testifying she had done so to end her alleged assault by Weinstein.

“I’m not doing that,” Newsom said.

Weinstein’s lawyers argued the cases against him were based on accusers simply asking the court to “take [their] word for it.”

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Four other women took the stand to support the charges against Weinstein, including model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, who secretly recorded him confessing to groping her in a Tribeca hotel in 2015. That contributed to the longtime sexual predator’s fall, which included later revelations about his efforts to have negative stories suppressed. The 30-year-old fashionista told the Daily News in 2020 she would support Weinstein accusers whose experiences were more traumatic that her own.

On Monday, she welcomed his latest conviction but added that she wished he’d been found guilty on all counts.

“He did it before in New York — of course he did it another time,” she told The News. “This is proof again, in another state, he’s guilty.”

Gutierrez previously claimed Weinstein touched her breast, put his hand on her leg and tried to kiss her during what she thought was a casting meeting at Weinstein’s downtown office. She reported the incident to police. Former District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. opted not to take action at the time.

Weinstein, denying criminal wrongdoing, responded with a statement acknowledging the way he had “behaved with colleagues” was problematic and vowed he was “trying to do better.”

He is serving a 23-year sentence for sexually assaulting two women in New York City. A jury deliberated for five days in February 2020 before convicting him of forcing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006 and raping an actress in 2013.

An appellate court heard from Weinstein representatives last week hoping to have those convictions overturned. It’s not known when that court will rule.

Weinstein did not take the stand in New York or Los Angeles.

With News Wire Services