Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape, sexual assault in second trial

Convicted sex offender and former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty on one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault on Monday following a lengthy trial in Los Angeles.

The four-woman, eight-man jury further acquitted him of sexual battery and failed to reach a verdict on three other charges, according to NBC News. They had deliberated for nine days prior to Monday's announcement.

Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to the charges last year. During the trial, Weinstein's attorneys had attempted to argue that transactional sex was a Hollywood norm and that several of his accusers were reinventing their stories of sexual interactions with him to fit the #MeToo narrative. Weinstein's lawyers had argued that his accusers engaged in sexual activities with him seeking professional benefits due to their association with the formerly renowned producer, going so far as to deride their client's appearance in the process.

"Look at my client," attorney Mark Werksman said of Weinstein. "He's not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Do you think these beautiful women had sex with him because he's hot? No, it's because he's powerful."

Weinstein was convicted in 2020 on counts of rape and criminal sexual assault in an unrelated case. He received 23 years in prison.