Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles sexual assault case is expanding, with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announcing six new charges against the disgraced movie producer on October 2. The new charges include three felony counts of forcible rape and three of forcible oral copulation, stemming from two victims’ accusations. One alleges Weinstein raped her at a Beverly Hills hotel between September 2004 and September 2005, the other alleges two separate events between November 2009 and November 2010, also at a Beverly Hills hotel. “I am thankful to the first women who reported these crimes and whose courage have given strength to others to come forward,†said District Attorney Jackie Lacey in a statement. “The willingness of these latest victims to testify against a powerful man gives us the additional evidence we need to build a compelling criminal case.â€
A Weinstein spokesperson, meanwhile, denied the new charges. “Harvey Weinstein has always maintained that every one of his sexual encounters throughout his entire life have been consensual. That hasn’t changed,†the spokesperson told Vulture. “At this moment we cannot comment on additional charges until we learn more about them.â€
Weinstein’s Los Angeles case initially included four felony counts — forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint — from allegations by two women that took place on two back-to-back days in 2013. One of those women, actress Lauren Young, testified in Weinstein’s New York case; the District Attorney’s Office announced the case a day before his New York trial began in January. It was amended in April to add another count of sexual battery by restraint from a third woman. Weinstein now faces 11 total counts: four of forcible rape, four of forcible oral copulation, two of sexual battery by restraint and one of sexual penetration by use of force. In total, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 140 years to life in state prison.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence at Wende Correctional Facility in Buffalo, New York, after being convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. He was moved from New York City’s Rikers Island to Buffalo toward the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; shortly after, he reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. His extradition to Los Angeles has been delayed due to the pandemic. Prosecutors have scheduled a new hearing for his extradition for December 11 in Buffalo.