[Harvey Weinstein Conviction]
D.A. Vance: “Weinstein is a vicious, serial sexual predator, who used his power to threaten, rape, assault, trick, humiliate, and silence his victims.”
Photo: Facebook
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the conviction of Harvey Weinstein, 67, for sexually assaulting Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann in 2013.
Weinstein was found guilty by a New York Supreme Court jury of: Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree and Rape in the Third Degree. Weinstein is expected to be sentenced on March 11, 2020.
The top count of which he was convicted carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
In remarks delivered after the jury rendered its verdict, District Attorney Vance said:
“Dawn Dunning, Miriam Haley, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Tarale Wulff, Lauren Young. Meghan Hast, Joan Illuzzi. These are the eight women who changed the course of history in the fight against sexual violence. These are eight women who pulled our justice system into the 21st century by declaring that rape is rape, and sexual assault is sexual assault, no matter what. Rape is rape, whether it’s committed by a stranger in a dark alley or by an intimate partner in a relationship. It’s rape, whether it’s committed by an indigent person or a man of immense power, prestige, and privilege. Rape is rape whether the survivor reports it within the next hour, within a year, or never at all. It’s rape, despite the complicated dynamics of power and consent after an assault. It’s rape even if there is no physical evidence. Even if it happened a long time ago.
“This is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in America. This is a new day.
“It’s a new day because Harvey Weinstein has finally been held accountable for crimes he committed. The women who came forward courageously, and at great risk, made that happen.
“Weinstein is a vicious, serial sexual predator, who used his power to threaten, rape, assault, trick, humiliate, and silence his victims. He has been found guilty of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, and will face on that count a state prison sentence of no less than 5 years and up to 25 years.
“To the jurors: I want to thank the jurors for their service and careful attention. Their verdict turned the page in our justice system on men like Harvey Weinstein.
“Thank you to the Assistant D.A.s, paralegals, and analysts who worked on this case, including: Maxine Rosenthal, Kevin Wilson, Shannon Goldberg, Carey Dunne, John Irwin, Alyssa Marino, Annie Clark, Danny Mejia-Cruz, Stephane Littell, and Emily Hogan – and especially to Harriet Galvin, Meghan Hast and Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, who conducted a terribly difficult and meticulous investigation and performed masterfully at trial under the brightest of spotlights.
“And finally to the survivors of Harvey Weinstein: I owe, and we all owe, an immense debt to you, who had the courage beyond measure to speak your story to the world, in this courtroom, at great personal risk, and in great personal pain. To those of us who were privileged to be in the courtroom when they testified, you know what I mean. These survivors weren’t just brave – they were heroic.
“Words can’t describe adequately the sacrifices these survivors made to pursue justice. Weinstein, with his manipulation, his resources, his attorneys, his publicists, and his spies, did everything he could to silence these survivors. But they refused to be silent. They spoke from their hearts, and they were heard.
“They were heard by Weinstein’s other survivors and by sexual predators all over the world. They sacrificed their privacy and self-protection knowing better than anyone the extent of Weinstein’s power, manipulation, retribution, and abuse. You broke your silence to hold him accountable, and believe me when I say that because you have done so, a generation of sexual assault survivors – and all of us – heard your every word.”
