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By: Jared Evan
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood mogul, is set to face a new chapter in his legal saga as he prepares for a Manhattan retrial on rape and sexual assault charges.
According to the New York Post, California officials are pushing for Weinstein’s extradition, but he will remain in New York until his upcoming trial is resolved.
Weinstein, 72, is currently being held at Rikers Island, a notorious New York City jail, in a special wing designated for inmates with health issues. The New York Post reports that Weinstein will stay at Rikers until his Manhattan case, slated for trial in November, reaches a conclusion. Afterward, he will be transferred to California to serve his sentence for convictions in a separate case.
Prosecutors outlined the timeline for Weinstein’s detention during a brief hearing in Queens Criminal Court on Monday. The New York Post describes Weinstein as appearing frail, with one hand cuffed to a wheelchair while he clutched a magazine and a book in the other.
“Today, defendant Harvey Weinstein was formally arraigned on a governor’s warrant issued by Governor Kathy Hochul, who exercised her authority for him to remain in New York State until his case in New York County is adjudicated,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement to the New York Post.
The extradition issue is being handled in Queens rather than Manhattan due to Queens’ proximity to Rikers Island, where Weinstein is housed. The New York Post notes that this arrangement is part of an effort to keep the former movie producer close to necessary medical facilities while he awaits trial.
Weinstein’s legal troubles began in New York, where he was convicted in 2020 of sexual assault and rape. However, as the New York Post reports, that conviction was overturned by the state’s highest court earlier this year. In a surprising split ruling, the court found that the trial judge had erred by allowing testimony from three women whose allegations were not directly related to the charges Weinstein faced.
With the New York conviction overturned, Manhattan prosecutors are now preparing for a retrial, which could potentially include new sexual assault charges. The New York Post reports that this retrial is tentatively scheduled for November 12. Once the Manhattan case concludes, Weinstein will be extradited to California to serve his primary sentence for his crimes there.
Weinstein’s legal team has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming that the encounters described in vivid detail by his accusers were consensual. As the New York Post notes, Weinstein continues to fight the charges, arguing that he did not rape or sexually assault anyone. His defense team is also appealing the California conviction, hoping that the recent reversal of his New York conviction will strengthen their case.
In 2022, Weinstein was convicted by a Los Angeles jury of raping an Italian model at a film festival in 2013. This conviction came after he had already been serving a 23-year sentence in New York. The New York Post highlights that his California sentence now takes precedence, leading to his eventual transfer to a California prison after the Manhattan retrial.
Weinstein’s publicist, Juda Engelmayer, issued a statement to the New York Post expressing relief that Governor Hochul allowed Weinstein to remain in New York during this critical period. “We fully expected that Mr. Weinstein would be extradited to serve his term in California,” Engelmayer said.
