Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and criminal sex act

New York Supreme Court on Monday found Harvey Weinstein guilty of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree, and rape in the third degree.

A jury of seven men and five women arrived at the verdict after deliberating the case for more than 26 hours over five days. After the verdict, a handcuffed Weinstein was taken into custody.

On the first charge, the jury found Weinstein guilty of a criminal sex act in the first degree for forcing oral sex on former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. The guilty filmmaker could get a minimum of five years and a maximum of 25 years in prison on this count. On the second charge, Weinstein was convicted of raping a woman in a New York hotel in 2013. He could get a maximum of four years on this count.

The 67-year-old former film producer was acquitted of three further charges, including the two most serious counts of predatory sexual assault, which carried a possible life sentence and another count of rape in the first degree.

During the trial, Weinstein's defense had tried raising the motion for a mistrial but had been denied by the jury.

The court has reserved the sentencing for a future date. 

In October 2017, several women came out to accuse Weinstein of rape and sexual assault over at least three decades. The incident had a global chain reaction, triggering off the #MeToo movement in Hollywood.