Harvey Weinstein has ‘begged for a second chance’ in court after a judge denied the motion for his last conviction to be thrown out.
The former film producer has been at the centre of rape or sexual misconduct allegations from more than 100 people, with some claims dating back to the 1970s.
The allegations sparked the Me Too movement, which highlighted sexual violence in the film industry, as well as worldwide.
Weinstein, 73, was initially convicted of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree in February 2020, but has denied the charges.
He arrived in Judge Curtis Farber’s court on Thursday in a wheelchair, looking paler and thinner than on previous sightings.
Weinstein was found guilty of forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley in 2006, but cleared of assaulting Kaja Sokola, also in 2006.
Lawyers claimed that the conviction should be declared a mistrial due to juror intimidation, after affidavits from two jurors.
‘I know I was unfaithful, I know I acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone,’ Weinstein told the court.
‘The isolation is unbearable. My body is failing,’ he added, describing Rikers jail, where he’s been held for two years, as ‘a slow march toward death’.
In 2024, it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, a form of bone marrow cancer.
The two jurors claimed they didn’t believe he was guilty but were forced to give in due to aggression from others.
Judge Farber denied the motion and stated: ‘Jurors don’t always behave in the manner we’d hope. I believe you had a fair trial.’
During the trial, he had questioned the jurors in open court as well as privately in his chambers, but found there was no juror misconduct.
One case, in which Weinstein is charged with third-degree rape regarding actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel in 2013, resulted in a hung jury
The judge declared a mistrial and it is scheduled to be re-tried, however, Farber indicated a third trial could be avoided if he pleaded guilty.
He has two weeks to confirm or deny the plea deal, with his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, stating he is ‘unenthusiastic’ about taking it.
‘However, going through these trials is tremendously taxing and his health is horrible,’ Aidala said outside the court, claiming that if it weren’t for Weinstein’s profile, the case would have been resolved.
Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg rebuffed this and said: ‘This is what justice is in New York for sexual assault survivors.’
Weinstein has been tried twice in New York as well as and once in California, which resulted in him being sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is also appealing a rape conviction in Los Angeles.
Earlier this year, actress Julia Ormond was paid $5.75 million (£4.32million) by the Walt Disney Co after alleging she was assaulted by Weinstein.
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