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Things aren’t going well for convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein. The man whose actions resulted in over 80 women coming forward with their stories of sexual assault and misconduct against him, simultaneously reigniting the #MeToo movement, has reportedly secretly been indicted on rape charges in Los Angeles.
The indictment against the disgraced movie mogul was brought by an LA grand jury a few weeks ago, Fox News reported on Sunday. The media outlet claims that though the case remains under seal now, it is expected to be publicly revealed later today during a scheduled extradition hearing in Erie County, New York, where Weinstein is currently serving 23 years for two counts of predatory sexual assault.
At the same time, an arrest warrant for the 69-year-old is expected to be issued.
Since Weinstein was found guilty in New York early last year, Los Angeles authorities have been seeking to bring him across the country to face further sex-crime charges in the state. Weinstein is charged in California with 11 counts of rape, sexual battery and other raps stemming from the allegations of five women. If convicted, he faces 140 years to life in prison.
Weinstein’s extradition has already been pushed back twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but, despite his lawyers likely to try to delay the process further, the indictment could now finally have him on a plane to L.A.
Weinstein was found guilty by a Manhattan jury in February 2020 of raping hairstylist Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on former television production assistant Miriam Haleyi in 2006.
Weinstein appealed the conviction earlier this month, claiming he was “deprived of a fair trial.”
Years on from the New York Times expose which revealed decades of abuse by Weinstein, the #MeToo movement continues to result in changes for women around the world. Weinstein being found guilty proves the tide is changing and that men—even ones with all the money and power in the world—will be held accountable for their actions.
