After spending years in and out of courtrooms for various allegations of sexual misconduct, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty on two counts, rape in the third degree and criminal sexual act in the first degree, in New York City on Monday. The Hollywood producer was found not guilty of two counts of predatory sexual assault and one count of rape in the first degree.

Variety reported that the jury, composed of seven men and five women, came to a verdict in the two-year trial, weeks after prosecutors rested their case on Feb. 6. Throughout the trial, the jury heard testimony from six women.

Weinstein faces a maximum of 25 years in prison on the charge of sexual assault.

Following the verdict, Justice James Burke ordered Weinstein to be taken into custody. The producer is expected to be sentenced on March 11.

After Weinstein’s verdict was announced, celebrities headed on Twitter to share their reactions to the news.

At a press conference, District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. praised the jury for their verdict.

“Rape is rape, whether it’s committed by a stranger in a dark alley or by an intimate partner. It’s rape whether it’s committed by an indigent person or a man of immense power, personage and privilege… Weinstein is a vicious serial sexual predator who used his power to threaten, rape, assault, trick, humiliate and silence his victims,” he said.

Although he has been charged in New York, Weinstein has yet to enter a plea for the four sexual assault charges being brought against him in Los Angeles.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court, on February 24, 2020
Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court, on February 24, 2020 AFP / Johannes EISELE
RELATED STORIES
Twitter