NEW YORK.- The Manhattan tax office said Tuesday that he intends to file new charges of sexual assault contra Harvey Weinstein as he prepares for a new trial in November against his former film mogul.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said in court that prosecutors are actively pursuing the rape allegations that occurred in Manhattan within the statute of limitations.
He said some potential survivors who were not ready to testify at Weinstein’s first trial in New York have indicated they are now prepared to testify.
But under pressure from the judge, Blumberg said prosecutors have yet to present their findings to a grand jury. She also said she could not tell the court when her investigation would be complete. “People are still doing research on a trauma-informed issue,” she said. “It’s an ongoing process.”
The defense
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, sitting next to his client, who appeared in a wheelchair, suggested the investigation was nothing more than a delaying tactic by prosecutors, and said something similar happened before the initial rape trial.
“Again, we have the person and we’re looking for a crime,” he said. “We have the ‘1-800-Catch-Harvey’ hotline.”
Blumberg rejected the idea and said the prosecution’s plan is to proceed to trial in the fall. “There are certainly no delaying tactics on our part. We are proceeding in the most expeditious manner.”
Asked by Judge Curtis Farber what month he anticipated, Blumberg replied: “November would be a realistic time frame.”
He said his client simply wants the trial to move forward as quickly as possible, noting that he is in his fifth year of incarceration. “He is suffering tremendously,” he said, adding that Weinstein suffers from macular degeneration, fluid in his lungs and heart, and diabetes that is “through the roof” due to poor nutrition behind bars.
“Basically, he’s not getting any treatment for any of this. He’s not a young man. He’s a sick man. These tactics by the prosecution are nothing but delay, delay, delay,” he added.
Next hearing
Judge Farber scheduled the next pretrial hearing for July 19.
Weinstein, 72, has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. He is currently being held at the Rikers Island jail complex, but has suffered medical problems throughout his time behind bars.
In April, New York’s highest court threw out Weinstein’s rape conviction after ruling that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against the defendant based on claims from other women not involved in the case.
The ruling reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeeToo era began in 2017 with a wave of accusations against Weinstein.
Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also charged in Los Angeles in 2022 with another rape and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. However, in an appeal filed last month in California’s Second District Court, Weinstein’s lawyers claimed their client did not receive a fair trial in Los Angeles.
FUENTE: AP
