Verdict Is Out: Harvey Weinstein Charged With Sexually Assaulting Two Women in 2013

The long-withstanding Harvey Weinstein saga seems to have finally come to a halt for now, as everybody knows today was the day of trial. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey on Monday announced new criminal charges against Harvey Weinstein involving an alleged 2013 rape and a sexual assault of a second woman — and says three other cases are currently being investigated.

Weinstein has been charged with "one felony count each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint," according to a press release. He's accused of pushing one woman inside her L.A. hotel room and raping her and then sexually assaulting another woman the next day in a Beverly Hills hotel suite. During a Monday press conference, Lacey clarified that the alleged incidents happened on February 18 and 19, 2013. Lacey said each of the women told at least one other person about the alleged assaults in 2013 and they filed reports with police in 2017.

“We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them,” Lacey said in the press release. “I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them. It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward.”

The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 28 years in state prison.