Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was hit with an additional sexual assault charge in Los Angeles on Friday, stemming from an alleged 2010 incident at a Beverly Hills hotel room.
Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, is accused of sexual battery by restraint against a woman in a hotel room on May 11, 2010, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.
The 68-year-old is already awaiting extradition to Los Angeles and is facing four sex crimes charges for raping one woman and sexually assaulting a second over a two-day period in 2013. The new charge now takes the number of alleged victims in his Los Angeles case to three.
“We are continuing to build and strengthen our case,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. “As we gather corroborating evidence, we have reached out to other possible sexual assault victims. If we find new evidence of [a] previously unreported crime, as we did here, we will investigate and determine whether additional criminal charges should be filed.”
Prosecutors allege the new charge stems from a woman that was first interviewed by detectives in October 2019 as a possible corroborating witness but was able to provide evidence that showed the incident happened within the statute of limitations before the deadline expired next month. The new charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison, meaning that Weinstein is now facing a maximum sentence of 29 years in jail.
Despite the new charge and accuser, Los Angeles prosecutors said Friday they declined to file charges on behalf of two other women, stating that both of them “did not want to testify” against the Oscar winner.
The new charge comes less than a month after Weinstein was sentenced in New York for sexually assaulting Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haleyi and raping former actress Jessica Mann.
During his four-week watershed trial in Manhattan, prosecutors argued Weinstein abused his power and prestige in the entertainment industry, preying on women for more than three decades and promising to kickstart their careers in exchange for sex acts.
While over 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and rape throughout his three decades of unfettered power, jurors only heard from six women at the trial—two alleged victims and four corroborating witnesses.
A majority of the women detailed in court how Weinstein lured them into isolated places to discuss their goals in the entertainment industry before sexually assaulting them. The women all admitted they never