Harvey Weinsteinhas been found guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree. The producer was facing five charges in the trial including rape, criminal sexual assault and predatory sexual assault.
The verdict comes after the 12-person jury spent five days deliberating on the verdict. On Friday last week, the jury appeared to suggest that they were deadlocked on the two charges of predatory sexual assault, even asking the judge if they could deliver a majority verdict (as oppose to unanimous, where all the members of the jury have to agree.)
Weinstein had been facing 25 years in prison and a potential life sentence for predatory sexual assault – a charge he not convicted of. After the verdict, he now faces up to 25 years in prison but his exact sentence hasn't been announced yet.
What was Harvey Weinstein accused of?
Despite more than 90 women coming forward to accuse Weinstein of various crimes including rape, sexual assault and harassment, he was onlyy standing trial for five felony charges against two women - Mimi Haley and Jessica Mann - for the rape of one female acquaintance and forced oral sex on another. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $1 million bail.
A third accuser, Annabella Sciorra - known for her role in The Sopranos - also gave testimony, as well as three other women alleging Weinstein assaulted them. However, those crimes were too old to prosecute on under state law and thus the jury could not legally convict on their accusations.
Click here for more information on what happened during the trail.
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