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Harvey Weinstein found guilty of criminal sex act, rape

Jury convicts Harvey Weinstein

(CNN) — Harvey Weinstein was found guilty Monday of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree involving one woman and rape in the third degree involving another woman.

The disgraced movie mogul faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 29 years in prison. He was handcuffed and taken into custody after the verdict.

A New York jury acquitted Weinstein, 67, on the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault involving the two women, Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann.

In doing so, jurors indicated that they did not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Weinstein had also raped actress Annabella Sciorra, another alleged victim whose testimony prosecutors used in an attempt to establish Weinstein’s predatory behavior.

Jurors deliberated for more than 26 hours over five days before reaching a verdict Monday morning. A motion for a mistrial by the defense earlier Monday was denied.

It’s not clear how many years in prison Weinstein faces, as sentencing will happen at a later date.

For the charge of criminal sex act in the first degree, he faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 25 years in prison.

For the charge of rape in the third degree, he essentially faces no minimum prison time and a maximum of four years.

At least 13 officers came into the courtroom before the verdict was read and surrounded the room.

When the verdict was read, jurors looked around the courtroom. They did not appear to look at Weinstein and may have been avoiding making eye contact with anyone.

Following the verdict, jurors were removed to the jury room along with the judge, one member of the defense team and one member of the prosecution.

Jurors were questioned about letters the parties received prior to today that suggested juror misconduct.

Judge James Burke acknowledged in court he believes the letters are fraudulent. At one point, he called them a prank.

Shortly afterward the judge said the jury will be dismissed.

But Weinstein’s criminal cases aren’t over. He also faces charges of sexual assault and rape in separate incidents in Los Angeles.

How the case unfolded

Weinstein was charged with first-degree criminal sexual act, two counts of rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault.

The charges are based on Haley’s testimony that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006 and Mann’s testimony that he raped her in 2013 during what she described as an abusive relationship.

Four other women, including Sciorra, also testified that Weinstein sexually attacked them as prosecutors sought to show that he used his power in the movie industry to prey on young, inexperienced women.

Sciorra’s testimony that he raped her in the winter of 1993-1994 is outside of the statute of limitations but could have been used to support the predatory sexual assault charges, which requires serious sex crimes against at least two victims.

Weinstein’s defense attorneys argued that the sexual encounters were consensual. As evidence, they pointed out that both Haley and Mann had sex with Weinstein after the alleged attacks, and they continued to have friendly contact with him for years afterward.

Weinstein has also denied allegations of non-consensual sexual activity related to the other women.

Igniting the #MeToo movement

The women’s testimonies highlighted thorny questions around consent and power dynamics at the heart of the #MeToo movement — questions that have rarely, if ever, been tested in a courtroom.

Once an acclaimed producer of movies such as “Shakespeare in Love” and “Pulp Fiction,” Weinstein was accused by multiple women of a wide range of sexual misconduct in stories published in October 2017 in The New York Times and The New Yorker.

A wave of accusations against men abusing their power ensued in what is now known as the #MeToo movement.