Convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein has been charged with a new sexual assault count in Los Angeles stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred in 2010, according to the county’s district attorney’s office.
The new charge against Harvey Weinstein comes as the Oscar-winning producer and Democratic party megadonor sits in a New York jail after being sentenced last month to 23 years following his conviction of raping a hairstylist and forcibly performing oral sex on a former Project Runway production assistant.
On Friday, the L.A. District Attorney’s office said it has charged Harvey Weinstein with one felony count of sexual battery by restraint. The alleged incident occurred at a Beverly Hills hotel on May 11, 2010.
Prosecutors didn’t identify the victim but said she was first interviewed by law enforcement in October 2019 as a possible corroborating witness. Last month, she provided detectives with information confirming that the assault took place within the 10-year-statute of limitation.
Prosecutors in L.A. have been pursuing multiple cases against Weinstein. But they said Friday that two previous cases involving the disgraced movie mogul were declined for prosecution because the victims did not want to testify against the defendant. The original L.A. criminal complaint charged Weinstein with sexually assaulting two women during separate incidents in 2013.
If convicted as charged in the amended complaint, Weinstein faces up to 29 years in state prison, according to the D.A.’s office.
“We are continuing to build and strengthen our case,” L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement. “As we gather corroborating evidence, we have reached out to other possible sexual assault victims. If we find new evidence of a previously unreported crime, as we did here, we will investigate and determine whether additional criminal charges should be filed.”
Harvey Weinstein, 68, has repeatedly maintained his innocence in the past. Lawyers for the former Miramax boss have stated that they will appeal his convictions in New York.
Weinstein has been accused by dozens of women of sexual assault and harassment over a three-decade period in cities including New York, L.A., Cannes, and Park City, Utah.
L.A. prosecutors said Friday that they will be seeking temporary custody of Harvey Weinstein from New York, as part of an extradition process.
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