NEW YORK – Harvey Weinstein will remain in custody in New York while awaiting retrial on rape and sexual assault charges in Manhattan, prosecutors confirmed on Monday. This comes as the former movie mogul made a brief court appearance related to California’s request to extradite him there.
After the New York case concludes, Weinstein will return to California to serve his pending 16-year sentence for a separate rape conviction there first, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“Today, defendant Harvey Weinstein was formally arraigned on a governor’s warrant issued by Governor Kathy Hochul, who exercised her authority for him to remain in New York State until his case in New York County is adjudicated,” Katz said. “He will serve the California sentence first, as it is now his primary sentence.”
Weinstein, who has denied the allegations against him, was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 while already serving a 23-year sentence in New York. His 2020 conviction in Manhattan was thrown out this spring by the state’s top court due to unfair testimony allowance in the original trial.
The retrial in Manhattan is tentatively scheduled for November.
The 72-year-old Weinstein appeared in Queens criminal court for less than five minutes handcuffed to his wheelchair. He is currently at the Rikers Island jail complex after being hospitalized last month for health issues.
Prosecutors aim to bring new sexual assault charges against Weinstein but haven’t provided details or a timeline for this. Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, questioned the strength of the current case given the mention of new accusers.
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