Manhattan prosecutors on Wednesday signalled they might seek to indict Harvey Weinstein on new charges, saying they were vetting allegations from people who have accused him of sexual assault in recent years.
The prosecutors are preparing to retry Weinstein after his 2020 sex crimes conviction was overturned. They did not say how many accusers they were interviewing or provide details of their allegations but said they were reviewing which of the accusations fell within the statute of limitations.
At the hearing Wednesday in Criminal Court in Manhattan, Weinstein (72) entered in a wheelchair, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, holding a large tan book under his left arm.
It was the second hearing since Weinstein’s conviction was overturned last month. In a 4-3 decision, the New York Court of Appeals agreed with Weinstein’s lawyers that the trial judge who presided over his 2020 case had erred by allowing prosecutors to call several accusers as witnesses, even though their allegations had not led to charges.
Weinstein, a former Hollywood producer who was convicted of sex crimes against two women at that trial, had been serving a 23-year sentence.
At a hearing this month, Manhattan prosecutors said they planned to retry him.
On Wednesday, Justice Curtis Farber, who is presiding over the case now, said if prosecutors convene a grand jury to seek an indictment on new charges, the court and Mr Weinstein’s legal team must be given notice.
The next hearing in the New York case is scheduled for July 9th.
Weinstein is still facing prison time in California, where he was convicted in 2020 of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to 16 years to be served after his New York sentence.
Weinstein’s lawyer in California has said she plans to appeal Weinstein’s conviction, and that she believes that the recent ruling in New York will help her chances of success, though several legal experts have cast doubt on that.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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