A New York jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of a first-degree criminal sexual act on Wednesday, bringing the disgraced producer's retrial to a partial close.
The majority-female jury split their verdict on two counts of committing a criminal sexual act, both of which stemmed from allegations that Weinstein had forced himself on women in 2006. The jury is still deliberating a third charge of third-degree rape. The criminal sexual act charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Weinstein has maintained his innocence of all the charges against him.
The partial verdict comes after five days of deliberations, with the foreperson of the jury reporting escalating tensions among the jurors. The jury head shared on Monday that the other jurors were "attacking, talking together, fight[ing] together." On Wednesday, they said that the situation had deteriorated even further, with one juror reportedly threatening him.
“He did indicate that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of ‘I’ll meet you outside one day,’ and there’s yelling and screaming,” Judge Chris Farber shared.
Weinstein's attorneys moved for a mistrial in both cases and were denied. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said the squabbling among the jury was nothing unusual.
“He said he’d made up his mind, he didn’t want to change it, and people were pressuring him to change it," Colangelo said. That’s what jury deliberations involve.”
Weinstein himself argued that the situation was "not fair" before learning of the verdict.
“My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair,” he said. "It’s time to say this trial is over.”
