Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape

Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted of sexual assault and rape in New York on Monday in a verdict that represented a victory for the #MeToo movement against the sexual harassment and assault of women.

The 67-year-old Weinstein, once one of the most powerful film and television producers in Tinseltown, was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress, in a hotel room in 2013.

Weinstein could face up to 29 years in prison on the two counts. He was acquitted on two other more serious counts of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault, which could have led to two life sentences.

The jury of seven men and five women took five days to reach a verdict. Weinstein showed no emotion as he was handcuffed in the courtroom. He was supposed to be taken to New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail, but instead was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center as a "precautionary measure" Monday evening, his representative said, according to the New York Post.

Weinstein was suffering from high blood pressure when he was redirected to the hospital by a medic in the ambulance, the representative Juda Engelmayer said, the Post reported.

After the verdict, Weinstein's attorney Arthur Aidala told reporters outside the Manhattan Criminal Court: "The words he said over and over again to me is, 'I'm innocent, I'm innocent, I'm innocent. How could this happen in America?'"

The judge ordered that Weinstein be held in the jail infirmary after his lawyer said he needed medical attention following unsuccessful back surgery. He is expected to be at Rikers until he is sentenced on March 11.

The trial's outcome was met with mixed emotion from the "silence breakers''— 20 of the 100 women who had accused Weinstein of assault.

"While it is disappointing that today's outcome does not deliver the true, full justice that so many women deserve, Harvey Weinstein will now forever be known as a convicted serial predator," they said. "This conviction would not be possible without the testimony of the courageous women and the many women who have spoken out."

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr praised the jurors and said: "Weinstein is a vicious, serial sexual predator who used his power to threaten, rape, assault and trick, humiliate and silence his victims."

"We will be appealing," Aidala said.

At least 100 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra.

Weinstein, who denied all charges, was a powerhouse producer who made films such as The King's Speech, The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love, all of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

His spectacular fall from fame was cheered by women who had accused him of abusing his power.

Rose McGowan, an actress who accused Weinstein of rape, tweeted: "Today is a powerful day & a huge step forward in our collective healing."

Mira Sorvino, another actress who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, said: "Harvey Weinstein has harmed many of our lives, even in our nightmares, long after he initially did what he did to each one of us. We have finally taken that power back. … He will rot in jail."

During the trial, Weinstein was seen entering the courtroom, unshaven and stooped, and using a walker.

The jury listened to weeks of graphic testimony by women who accused him of rape, forced oral sex and attacks.

They accused him of being Jekyll and Hyde-like and said he would get angry if his sexual advances were rejected.

The women's stories were often similar: Weinstein would invite them to his apartment or hotel room saying that a meeting with him could help their career and then pin them down and sexually assault them. They also said Weinstein would show up at their doors unannounced.

Weinstein's lawyers said he was innocent. They said the women had only come forward because they regretted their encounters.

To show this, they displayed text messages from the women, such as one from Haleyi in which she wished him "lots of love" after the encounter.

Haleyi's testimony proved crucial during the trial. She wept uncontrollably on the stand as she described her relationship with the movie mogul as "extremely degrading".

She said he invited her to his SoHo apartment after she had worked on one of his television productions. He then forced her into a bedroom, pinned her down and forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. She said he later raped her in 2013.

Sciorra, known for her part in The Sopranos series, told jurors that Weinstein raped her in her apartment in 1993 or 1994. Three other women, actress Lauren Young, costume designer Dawn Dunning and model Tarale Wulff testified that Weinstein set up meetings to talk about their careers and later raped them. Weinstein still faces sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.