Harvey Weinstein Faces Life in Prison After New Sex Crime Charges

Harvey Weinstein is staring down the barrel of a life sentence after he was hit with new charges on Monday.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office filed new charges against Weinstein as the week began, including a new count of criminal sexual act in the first degree and a forcible sexual act against another woman in 2006. According to The Hollywood Reporter, prosecutors also added two counts of predatory sexual assault, which is a Class A-II felony.

“A Manhattan Grand Jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s Penal Law,” read a statement from district attorney Cyrus Vance. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward. Our investigation continues.”

If convicted, these charges would amount to life in prison for Weinstein. The Hollywood producer was reportedly already facing two charges of rape, one in the first degree and one in the third degree. He was also charged with criminal sexual act in the first degree and forcible sexual acts against two women. The incidents allegedly took place many years apart.

Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all of the original charges at the beginning of June. There is no word yet on how he has responded to Monday’s additional accusations.

Weinstein was at the center of the Me Too movement when it broke back in October. It began with accusations from more than a dozen women, leveled against him in a New York Times article. By the end of the month, at least 80 women claimed to have suffered sexual harassment or sexual assault at Weinstein’s hands, according to a report by Newsweek. However, not all had filed police reports, and not all were prosecutable.

Afterward, Weinstein’s considerable connections in Hollywood began to dissolve. The mogul was fired from his production company, which bore his own name. He was suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and he was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He himself resigned from the Directors Guild of America. Many powerful figures in the entertainment industry denounced him altogether.

Weinstein’s accusers include high profile actresses such as Uma Thurman, Rose McGowan and Asia Argento, among many others. None have responded publicly to Monday’s new charges just yet, though Argento did retweet the news shortly after it was announced.