The judge in the LA sex crimes trial of Harvey Weinstein has postponed sentencing to February 23 after the defence requested a new trial.
Sentencing had been expected to take place on Monday after Weinstein was found guilty of three counts of rape and sexual assault last month. However judge Lisa Lench has agreed to hear defence arguments on February 23 and said she will proceed with sentencing that day should she deny the motion.
The 70-year-old former Hollywood mogul faces up to 18 years in prison and is currently serving 23 years in a New York state prison stemming from his 2020 rape conviction. Last June he lost his appeal against that sentence.
On December 19 a LA jury of eight men and four women returned guilty verdicts for counts of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by a foreign object against Jane Doe 1, an Italian model, at the Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles in February 2013.
In a mixed verdict the jurors acquitted Weinstein of sex crime allegations made by three other women, one of whom is Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who is now married to California Governor Gavin Newsom and elected to identify herself publicly.
The judge declared a mistrial in relation to those three women and according to reports prosecutors have not decided whether they will push for a retrial.
Weinstein has denied any non-consensual sexual contact concerning any allegation made against him. Allegations made by the four women in the LA trial date from 2005-2013.
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