Harvey Weinstein is facing new criminal charges as he prepares for his rape retrial in New York. Prosecutors announced that a grand jury has added more charges after new accusers came forward. These new charges will stay secret until Weinstein is officially charged, which won’t happen until he leaves the hospital.
Harvey Weinstein could face three new criminal charges related to incidents from 2005, 2006, and 2016.
Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office put together a grand jury and asked Weinstein to testify, but he refused. Weinstein didn’t testify because prosecutors wouldn’t reveal the identities of the new accusers.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office says the new accusers came forward after Weinstein’s 2020 rape trial. Although Weinstein was convicted, the conviction was overturned in April because an appeals court found that his constitutional rights were violated during the trial.
Prosecutors quickly decided to try again to convict Weinstein, and his retrial is planned for November. His lawyers say Weinstein is eager to prove his innocence.
Weinstein didn’t go to court today because he was taken to Bellevue Hospital earlier this week for emergency heart surgery. His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said that Weinstein was very close to dying because of his health problems.
