Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer doesn’t think he’ll push for bail.
The 67-year-old movie mogul is due to be sentenced on March 11 in Manhattan, New York, after he was found guilty on Monday (24.02.20) of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sex act, but his legal adviser doesn’t think he’ll fight for temporary release while he waits for his prison sentence next month because he’s worried he’ll just get arrested again over his rape charges in California.
Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala told the New York Post newspaper: "At this point, it doesn’t look like it would be in Harvey’s best interest to file for bail pending sentencing because of the complications of the California situation.
"We could ask a judge, ‘Hey, can he just go home under house arrest?’ but once he goes home, California wants him. So now we’re asking a judge to let him get on a plane, and that’s more complicated. The fear is it would delay sentencing."
Weinstein is due to meet with his legal team on Friday (28.02.20) to discuss his options but his lawyer has his bail paperwork ready in case his does go ahead.
Mr. Aidala explained: "The decision has not ultimately been made. That’s what I’m meeting with Harvey about tomorrow."
Weinstein – who is currently in Bellevue Hospital in New York after he experienced chest pains, had heart palpitations and high blood pressure after the verdict – could face up to 29 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.
After sentencing, he is expected to be extradited to Los Angeles, California, after he was charged there in January with forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint – stemming from two separate incidents stretched over a two-day period in 2013.
If he’s found guilty of those charges, Weinstein could face up to 28 years on top of the 29 he’s already expected to serve from guilty verdict he received in New York.
The trial in New York began in January and saw Weinstein accused of two counts of predatory sexual assault, two counts of rape and one count of criminal sex act.
The jury – made up of seven men and five women – found Weinstein guilty of two charges on the fifth day of deliberations and acquitted of the other three, including the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer doesn’t think he’ll go for bail
