Harvey Weinstein has been extradited to Los Angeles, where he faces 11 new charges pertaining to sexual assault.
Weinstein, who was being held in a New York prison, is charged with four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint, and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, charges that stem from five female accusers in Los Angeles, according to multiple outlets.
“This morning at approximately 9:25 custody of Mr. Harvey Weinstein was handed over to the appropriate officials for transport to the state of California per a court order,” the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which currently lists Weinstein’s custody status as “out to court,” said in a widely reported statement on Tuesday.
Last month, Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case ruled Weinstein would be extradited to California to face the additional charges.
“In the matter of the Request for Temporary Custody of Harvey Weinstein, … the above-named inmate shall be remanded to custody for the purposes of expediting his return to the demanding state,” the order, signed by Case, said.
Case’s ruling rejected defense arguments that the paperwork for extradition in Los Angeles was erroneous and that Weinstein should remain in New York to continue receiving medical treatment.
“It’s Los Angeles. It’s not some remote outpost that doesn’t have medical care,” Erie County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Gable reportedly said.
Weinstein, a former film producer whose conviction was celebrated by the #MeToo movement, was sentenced to 23 years in New York state prison in March 2020 after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein has denied all accusations of wrongdoing and is appealing his conviction in New York, a pathway some legal experts say may be eased by Bill Cosby’s release from prison earlier this month.
“In reversing the conviction of Bill Cosby, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has demonstrated, once again, that no matter who a defendant may be and no matter the nature of the alleged crime, courts can be relied upon to follow the law and come to the correct decision,” Juda Engelmayer, a spokesman for Weinstein, said in a July 2 statement. “This decision also reaffirms our confidence that the Appellate Division in New York will reach the similarly correct decision in Harvey Weinstein’s appeal, considering the abundance of issues that cry out for a reversal.”
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If convicted of the 11 California charges, the 69-year-old could face a sentence of up to 140 years behind bars.
