Jailed Weinstein heading for new trial in LA

Former American film producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assaults in New York, will soon be transferred to Los Angeles, which opens the way to a new trial against him for other assaults.

Weinstein’s lawyers opposed the transfer for months, arguing mostly medical reasons. But Judge Kenneth Case of Erie County, where the producer is being held, rejected their requests and gave the green light for the transfer in a televised hearing.

Although no date was set for the transfer, the judge asked that it be “as fast as possible.”

Los Angeles prosecutors expect the trip to take place “between late June and mid-July,” said a spokeswoman for the Erie County prosecutor.

At the end of the hearing, Weinstein covered his face with both hands.

The once all-powerful Hollywood producer, 69, is charged in Los Angeles with the rape and sexual assault of five women. If found guilty, he can be sentenced to up to 140 years in jail.

He always denied the accusations against him, both in New York and Los Angeles and says that all his relationships were consensual.

At the beginning of April, Weinstein formally appealed his conviction for rape and sexual assault in New York received in early 2020 after a media trial in Manhattan that was considered a victory for the #MeToo movement.

In all, about 90 women accused Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault.