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Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of sexual assault and rape in a New York courtroom on Monday, sealing a long-awaited and high-profile trial which started in January.
Weinstein, 67, was accused of raping one woman in a Midtown Manhattan hotel in March 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on another woman at his apartment in Manhattan in 2006.
He was convicted on two of five charges by a jury of seven men and five women, and faces up to 29 years behind bars.
The jury acquitted Weinstein on three other charges, including two counts of predatory sexual assault charges which could put him in jail for life.
"This is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in America, I believe, and it is a new day. It is a new day because Harvey Weinstein has finally been held accountable for crimes he committed," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
The producer has been involved in some 80 allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct since investigative reports about his alleged sexual abuse were published on several mainstream media outlets in 2017.
Weinstein had denied all the allegations, saying any sexual activity was consensual.
Weinstein's lead defense attorney Donna Rotunno said after the conviction that she would file an appeal.
"We'll absolutely be appealing. The fight is not over," Rotunno said outside the Manhattan court building.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
