Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on new charges by a New York grand jury, prosecutors announced Thursday, though the disgraced movie mogul did not attend the hearing after a serious health scare that required emergency heart surgery.
Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s attorney, told the judge Thursday that prosecutors informed him of three new criminal complaints, from 2005, 2006 and 2016, but did not give additional details, according to multiple media reports. Aidala also told Judge Curtis Farber that his client “almost died” before the Monday morning procedure.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said her office plans to file a motion to consolidate all charges into a superseding indictment. Weinstein’s next court hearing is set for Sept. 18, though no arraignment date has been set.
The disgraced media mogul was found guilty of rape in February 2020 and sentenced to 23 years. The New York Court of Appeals threw out that conviction in April after ruling that Weinstein did not get a fair trial after the judge “erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts.”
Following his successful appeal, Weinstein was transferred from an upstate prison to various facilities, including Rikers Island and Bellevue Hospital’s prison ward. On Thursday, Judge Farber ordered that Weinstein remain in Bellevue and not be transferred back to Rikers, in response to defense concerns about his medical care at the jail.
Weinstein is also appealing a separate conviction and 16-year prison sentence for criminal sexual assault in Los Angeles. The California case allowed New York to keep him in custody while prosecutors rack up new charges.
Leave a Reply